SAN FRANCISCO – As a prep, University of San Francisco men's tennis player Stevie Gould's immense talent was obvious. But Gould's tennis world was thrown out of balance to when he became a victim of sexual assault by his tennis coach at the age of 14.
 
In this special segment of Behind the Mask, USF's own Katie Morgan sat down with Gould and chronicled his path to recovery as a sexual assault victim and how he forged his own journey towards healing. His process brought to him a new goal: trying to ensure that his experiences, and those of victims like him, don't happen to others.
 
Gould came to the Hilltop in 2020-21 as a sophomore transfer from the University of Washington. The five-star recruit by TennisRecruiting.net grew up in Corte Madera, Calif., on the north side of the Golden Gate Bridge and less than 14 miles from the Hilltop.
 
There, as a teen, he attended a local tennis academy run by Normandie Burgos. For several years, Burgos assaulted Gould while away at competitions. According to a New York Times article by David W. Chen, Gould states, "a light bulb went off" that he should report what was happening when the coach started to groom another, younger player.
 
In the video, Marlene Capra of the Protect Organization chats about her involvement in helping Gould tell his story, his way.
 
Said Gould, "What I want to achieve with Marlene and Protect is to feel like I'm making a difference, to help someone else not have to endure the pain that those of us who have gone through the experience of sexual abuse and rape endure."
 
Gould went 5-5 in his first season as a Don, competing mostly in the 3s position.
 
This segment of Behind the Mask will air again in April during Sexual Assault Awareness Month.