By Monica Kurjan
Senior soccer player Kate McEachern is ready to reclaim her spot as the Youngstown State Penguins goalkeeper. Like the rest of the Horizon League’s fall sports, the soccer season was postponed. This altered McEachern’s plans a bit, but she will be back for another season.
“Technically, I was supposed to graduate in December,” McEachern said, “so now I’m postponing that until spring. It is an opportunity to stay in college another semester.”
The criminal justice major from Troy, Michigan finished last season with 94 saves, 2.01 goals against average, .752 save percentage and three shutouts. McEachern led the entire Horizon League in saves.
McEachern used her time at home the past couple months to get in the best shape of her life. She went on runs, walks and did hill workouts with her dog Finn.
“Physically, I have gotten in more shape, as we have had a lot more time to be on our own,” she said. “It made me more motivated to get in shape for whenever our season is going to be.”
McEachern transferred to Youngstown State after spending her first two years at University of Pittsburgh. In her years spent playing for the Penguins, McEachern has tallied up a lot of amazing memories on and off the field. She said her favorite memory was the day where the Women’s Soccer team beat Cleveland State last season, the team’s first Horizon League win since 2016.
“When we beat Cleveland State, that was an awesome time, beating them 1-0. That was fun, beating our rivals,” McEachern said.
Whatever the future holds for the soccer team’s season, expect to see McEachern leading the team in front of the net and behind the scenes.
