SE: K-State Soccer’s Malsy, Harris Return Home to California Competing for Each Other
Sep 05, 2019 | Soccer, Sports Extra
By Corbin McGuire
K-State soccer's Emma Malsy and Rachel Harris took different routes to end up in the same spot. And that could be interpreted a few ways.
To start, Malsy and Harris both grew up in Southern California, where K-State (1-2-1) travels to play CSUN on Friday and Cal State Fullerton on Sunday. The pair of goalkeepers are two of seven California natives on K-State's roster, not including the coaching staff that includes three more.
"I think we're going to have more fans than they'll have," Harris half joked, as the redshirt sophomore's lost count of the number of her family members and friends coming to watch this weekend.
"It's going to be a really, really special moment," added Malsy, a senior. Along with her parents and older sister, she said she expects to have a large contingent of friends and former teammates in attendance, as well as her former goalkeeping coach and younger players she trains when back home.
For Harris and Malsy, who have split goalkeeping duties the first four matches of the season, the trip also brings their relationship somewhat full circle.
Raised in different Los Angeles suburbs less than 30 minutes apart, they played against each other their "whole lives growing up," Harris said. Their paths to competing on the same team together in the middle of the country went different ways, however.
Malsy, about six months older than Harris, began her collegiate career in 2016 at Arizona State. As a freshman, she started nine matches but transferred to K-State after the season. With Miranda Larkin holding down the goalkeeper spot at K-State, Malsy redshirted in 2017 before starting all 18 matches and posting six shutouts last season.
Harris was originally recruited by now-K-State head coach Mike Dibbini when he was at Cal Poly Pomona. She, ironically, wanted to get away from California — "I'm more like a country girl," she said, adding: "I hate the beach." So, she committed to Arkansas as a junior.
This decision came shortly before K-State announced the creation of its program and Dibbini as its first head coach in December 2014. Dibbini reached out to Harris again, but she stuck to her commitment and respectfully declined.
"My parents and club coaches always told me to never burn a bridge," Harris said, "and that's the only reason I'm here now."
After two seasons at Arkansas, Harris also decided to look for a new home. Initially, K-State was not even on her radar, but her relationship with Dibbini and assistant coach Gabe Romo persuaded her to consider it.
"I wasn't really planning on looking here because Emma was here and I was, like, 'It's her school, I don't want to step on any toes,' but K-State was the only school I ended up taking a visit to," said Harris, who committed in Chicago's O'Hare International Airport after her visit to K-State. "I got here, and I was, like, 'This is home.'"
Now, as the two goalkeepers return home, they enter their third weekend of splitting starting duties in the regular season. Since Harris joined the team, the competition in goal has been friendly and mutually beneficial.
"I didn't know how it was going to go," Harris said, "but she's been very welcoming. I'm excited to work with her."
"We definitely have that healthy competition. Every single practice, I know she's going to challenge me and that I'll challenge her," Malsy, with two shutouts already this season, added. "That is bringing out the best in both of us."
Their bests bring a little something different, too.
Malsy, two inches taller than Harris, provides a bigger presence in goal. Harris, strong with her feet, brings more of a sweeper keeper advantage that can help build attacks out of the backline.
"It's good that we're able to do that because you have teams that play direct and play in the air, and then you have teams that want to low press us and sit back and we can use our feet a little bit more from the goalkeeping position," Dibbini said. "We have two keepers that are really good at each one of those. It may be match-up situations on how we decide on keepers."
Malsy said one other advantage to having two capable starters at goalkeeper is staying fresh. While they do not run as much as their teammates in a game, goalkeepers collect plenty of bumps and bruises from diving and breaking up plays in the box.
"If she knows she's playing on a Thursday or Friday match, and I know I'm playing on a Sunday, maybe she's going to be taking more reps on the Thursday before or the Wednesday before, whereas I'll be taking more reps closer to the Sunday game and resting my body up until that point," Malsy said. "For me, I've noticed it's helped me a lot with the recovery and managing my body overall. I think Rachel could definitely say the same thing."
So, instead of competing against each other, like the two goalkeepers did the last time they played on the same field in California, they look at their situation now as more of competing for each other and their team.
"We're pushing each other day in and day out at practice," Harris said. "I'm her biggest supporter, and I know she's my biggest supporter when I'm out there."
K-State soccer's Emma Malsy and Rachel Harris took different routes to end up in the same spot. And that could be interpreted a few ways.
To start, Malsy and Harris both grew up in Southern California, where K-State (1-2-1) travels to play CSUN on Friday and Cal State Fullerton on Sunday. The pair of goalkeepers are two of seven California natives on K-State's roster, not including the coaching staff that includes three more.
"I think we're going to have more fans than they'll have," Harris half joked, as the redshirt sophomore's lost count of the number of her family members and friends coming to watch this weekend.
"It's going to be a really, really special moment," added Malsy, a senior. Along with her parents and older sister, she said she expects to have a large contingent of friends and former teammates in attendance, as well as her former goalkeeping coach and younger players she trains when back home.
For Harris and Malsy, who have split goalkeeping duties the first four matches of the season, the trip also brings their relationship somewhat full circle.
Raised in different Los Angeles suburbs less than 30 minutes apart, they played against each other their "whole lives growing up," Harris said. Their paths to competing on the same team together in the middle of the country went different ways, however.
Malsy, about six months older than Harris, began her collegiate career in 2016 at Arizona State. As a freshman, she started nine matches but transferred to K-State after the season. With Miranda Larkin holding down the goalkeeper spot at K-State, Malsy redshirted in 2017 before starting all 18 matches and posting six shutouts last season.
Harris was originally recruited by now-K-State head coach Mike Dibbini when he was at Cal Poly Pomona. She, ironically, wanted to get away from California — "I'm more like a country girl," she said, adding: "I hate the beach." So, she committed to Arkansas as a junior.
This decision came shortly before K-State announced the creation of its program and Dibbini as its first head coach in December 2014. Dibbini reached out to Harris again, but she stuck to her commitment and respectfully declined.
"My parents and club coaches always told me to never burn a bridge," Harris said, "and that's the only reason I'm here now."
After two seasons at Arkansas, Harris also decided to look for a new home. Initially, K-State was not even on her radar, but her relationship with Dibbini and assistant coach Gabe Romo persuaded her to consider it.
"I wasn't really planning on looking here because Emma was here and I was, like, 'It's her school, I don't want to step on any toes,' but K-State was the only school I ended up taking a visit to," said Harris, who committed in Chicago's O'Hare International Airport after her visit to K-State. "I got here, and I was, like, 'This is home.'"
Now, as the two goalkeepers return home, they enter their third weekend of splitting starting duties in the regular season. Since Harris joined the team, the competition in goal has been friendly and mutually beneficial.
"I didn't know how it was going to go," Harris said, "but she's been very welcoming. I'm excited to work with her."
"We definitely have that healthy competition. Every single practice, I know she's going to challenge me and that I'll challenge her," Malsy, with two shutouts already this season, added. "That is bringing out the best in both of us."
Their bests bring a little something different, too.
Malsy, two inches taller than Harris, provides a bigger presence in goal. Harris, strong with her feet, brings more of a sweeper keeper advantage that can help build attacks out of the backline.
"It's good that we're able to do that because you have teams that play direct and play in the air, and then you have teams that want to low press us and sit back and we can use our feet a little bit more from the goalkeeping position," Dibbini said. "We have two keepers that are really good at each one of those. It may be match-up situations on how we decide on keepers."
Malsy said one other advantage to having two capable starters at goalkeeper is staying fresh. While they do not run as much as their teammates in a game, goalkeepers collect plenty of bumps and bruises from diving and breaking up plays in the box.
"If she knows she's playing on a Thursday or Friday match, and I know I'm playing on a Sunday, maybe she's going to be taking more reps on the Thursday before or the Wednesday before, whereas I'll be taking more reps closer to the Sunday game and resting my body up until that point," Malsy said. "For me, I've noticed it's helped me a lot with the recovery and managing my body overall. I think Rachel could definitely say the same thing."
So, instead of competing against each other, like the two goalkeepers did the last time they played on the same field in California, they look at their situation now as more of competing for each other and their team.
"We're pushing each other day in and day out at practice," Harris said. "I'm her biggest supporter, and I know she's my biggest supporter when I'm out there."
Players Mentioned
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