Quinn Casteel
Assistant Sports Editor
Commonwealth Times Sports’ Twitter
One week into the season, VCU co-head coach Tiffany Sahaydak said goalie Kristin Carden would be the player to watch this year.
Now four weeks into the season, that prediction has become a reality, as Carden has accepted the challenge with open arms.
Carden was fourth all-time at Virginia Tech in saves after just two seasons, having racked up an eye-popping 136 as the starting goalie her freshman and sophomore years. She also had a goals against average (GAA) of just 1.00 in each of her first two seasons.
However, she decided to transfer late in her sophomore season because of a personal matter involving the coaching staff.
“I realized it just wasn’t a good thing anymore,” Carden said. “I didn’t have the drive anymore that I thought I had lost, and it wasn’t because of soccer.”
Playing with VCU has allowed to her to find that drive once again, and her performance on the field has shown that.
Carden has started all eight games to this point and has a GAA of a mere 1.08. She has recorded 23 saves including six in the loss to St. Mary’s on September 9, and seven in the double-overtime loss to Villanova back on September 2.
Her outgoing personality is paired with a modest demeanor, which is what draws teammates to her. She credits her defense for the team’s success, and does not hesitate to put the failures on her own shoulders, which is the mark of a good goalie.
Despite solid individual stats, Carden remains frustrated with her performance thus far. The team has already suffered three 1-0 losses, and has blown several games in the dwindling minutes.
“To give up a game in the last five minutes is unacceptable from a mental standpoint,” Carden said. “One-goal losses are tough; they’re one of the hardest things to deal with for me, so it was very difficult but we never gave up.”
Because of the Rams’ offensive struggles, Carden has had to be almost perfect to keep her team in games. And while she hasn’t been perfect, if she continues to play the way she has, VCU will have a lot to look forward to when the offense does finally come around.
“I would like to think you go back on a non-conference schedule like we have and think you played good competition,” she said. “My hope is that we’ll look back after a few wins in the CAA and say ‘Thank God we played all those games.’”
After a year off, Carden is now considered a junior by the NCAA, and is eligible for two full seasons with the Rams. The last couple seasons have been filled with turmoil for VCU’s goalie position, and Carden brings something that the Sahaydaks have not had in net for some time: stability.
“Carden is going to be key for us,” Sahaydak said of her new goalie. “She is very, very good.”
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