By Angelina Persaud, Assistant News Editor
Kimberly Mains has set new season-high records, established her defensive strategy and continuously pushes herself to the limit on the field as goalkeeper.
Mains is currently a graduate mechanical engineering major with a concentration in systems and control.
Originally born in Seoul, South Korea and coming from her hometown of Harriman, NY, Mains said that soccer has been influential to her for her entire life.
“I’ve played basically my whole life. I’ve played since I was about five years old. There’s nothing that I’ve been so dedicated to as much as soccer,” Mains said.
Mains initially started her soccer career at Immaculate Heart Academy where helped to lead the team to back to back state championships.
Although she started playing for the Jaspers during her freshman year, her sophomore year was when she had her first win at the collegiate level. During a heated match against Iona, Mains was able to make six saves during a 45 minute period.
Transitioning into her junior year, Mains was named a MAAC All-Academic Team Honoree for the second year in a row as well as MAAC Defensive Player of the Week for her four saves against Canisius. During the MAAC quarterfinals against Rider University, Mains was able to secure seven stops. Her season high saves record, though, came during double-overtime against Quinnipiac.
Moving into her senior year with the Jaspers, Mains continued to excel and break her own records. She ranked first in the MAAC for saves and had a season high 11 saves against Marist College and Monmouth University. She also had a record 10 saves on four separate occasions including games against Iona University, St. Peter’s University, Marist College and Monmouth University.
Topping off her career in the current 2022 season, Mains continues to push herself and improve her play performance. Racking up a total of 11 saves against Marist College on Oct. 15, Mains has kept herself steady for the current season.
Some of Mains’ other goalie highlights from the 2022 season illustrate her commitment to improving her performance with each game. Even in the beginning stages of the season, Mains has set the bar high for herself with a total of six saves against Sacred Heart University on Sept. 8.
In a match against Fairfield University, Mains recorded a total of four saves even though the game ended in a 1-4 loss for the Jaspers. She also had a total of three saves against Stony Brook University, which ended in a 1-1 tie. Undoubtedly, Mains has shown dedication to the sport and her team during each match, regardless of the outcome.
However, Mains credits her continuous improvement and peak performance to the amount of practice she’s been given over the years and the opportunities her coaches have provided. Mains was one of four freshmen goalies when she arrived at Manhattan College, as well as the youngest on the team.
“It was very difficult to wrap my mind around being kind of the last string on a team. But I found stuff to work on with my coach. He’s great at giving me an opportunity to have extra training work on everything that I need,” Mains said.
Mains spoke about how she managed to adjust to the setting of soccer at the collegiate level.
“I came in being not very good at having balls higher above me because I’ve always been very short compared to most other goalkeepers. So it gave me something to work on and my improvement on things like crosses and [defense],” Mains said.
Mains also credited her team for their continuous support and their dedication to the sport during each game.
“They’re like my best friends. You spend so much time with them. Over the years, you just create bonds that you can’t replicate anywhere else,” Mains said.
She also spoke about her time as captain and her personal reflection on the experience.
“I think probably one of my biggest accomplishments as a captain is being able to try to create an amorphous team culture into something that everyone can enjoy,” Mains said.
She also praised the team’s overall spirit especially when they were falling behind in certain matches.
“We have this fight that I haven’t really seen with like other teams where we just don’t stop working on the field. No one is giving up at any point, we could be down like three, four goals. No one is giving up and I think that’s something that really says a lot about this team right now,” Mains said.