Women’s soccer: Kephart succeeds as keeper, but credits her teammates

If Morie Kephart had her way, she would have shared the records and awards she’s accumulated… If Morie Kephart had her way, she would have shared the records and awards she’s accumulated with her teammates.

The junior goalkeeper said she couldn’t have broken Pitt’s records for season shutouts (6) and career shutouts (11) without the help of her defense.

“They are making my job really easy,” Kephart said. “They make me look good. I demand a lot out of them, and they demand a lot out of me. I think the awards should be given to the whole defense.”

Along with breaking two records, Kephart was selected as one of College Soccer 360’s Primetime Players of the Week for the week of Sept. 14. She was also named a member of the Big East Honor Roll the same week.

Kephart leads the Big East with a .910 save percentage and is second in saves per game with 5.55. She has 61 total saves this season.

While Kephart said the acknowledgements are important to her because of how hard she’s worked, she was quick to move the spotlight to her defense.

She said she joins with the backfield of Kat Weiler, Maura Caslin, Rebecca Fraser and Abbigail Baldys to form a highly efficient unit.

“I give all the credit to them,” Kephart said. “I’d rather see the team succeed than have my own name in the paper.”

Pitt head coach Sue-Moy Chin predicted Kephart would heap much of the praise onto her teammates but added that Kephart has played remarkably for the team all season.

She said Kephart’s ability to read the game and her shot-stopping skills are two of her biggest strengths, strengths that have allowed her to keep the Panthers’ goal virtually untouched this season.

“She’s come up big for us, making the saves she has to make and making big saves in order to keep us in the game and keep her shutouts,” Chin said.

According to Chin, Kephart noticeably improved this season, which Chin attributes to a concentration on fitness and an increase in confidence.

“She’s really focused, and she set goals for herself this season,” Chin said. “She wanted to break those records and get shutouts. She wanted to get at least 10 shutouts this year.”

Kephart said she spent her entire summer in Oakland working out and attempting to get in the best shape possible so she could compete at her highest level.

Chin said that kind of focus is Kephart’s biggest strength and what has transformed her into a star goalkeeper.

“When she got here, she played on the field a little bit as well as playing in goal,” Chin said. “Now, she’s focused on only being a goalkeeper and that has really helped. That focus on her part and improved fitness are the reasons she’s progressed so well.”

Kephart’s competitive focus comes from arriving at the University as an under-recruited underdog. Injured in high school, Kephart was mostly unaware of how the recruiting process worked.

She contacted Chin and expressed interest in coming to Pitt. In March of Kephart’s senior year in high school, Chin offered her a spot on the roster.

“I’ve kind of had a chip on my shoulder ever since I got here,” Kephart said. “I’ve just been working hard to prove myself. Everything I do is never really good enough for me, so I just keep pushing myself.”

Somewhere along the line, the under-recruited high school player became a record-setting goalkeeper and what Chin described as a very emotional leader.

“She likes to get pumped up and to get the girls pumped up,” Chin said.

However, the humble Kephart doesn’t want to keep the leadership credit all to herself. She said the team is filled with leaders, which is one of the reasons the Panther squad is 6-2-4 this season.

“We have a lot of people who have been stepping up,” Kephart said. “I’ve been trying to do my part. I see the whole entire field from my angle, so if I can be a leader and help that way, then that’s what I want to do.”

“Kephart uses her vocal leadership to organize the players in front of her,” Chin said.

“She loves to compete, she hates to lose, and with that comes great work ethic,” Chin said. “She definitely carries that with her in games.”