Published: November 19, 2006 11:57 pm         

Borck named MSU women’s soccer coach

Kelly Borck likes a good challenge.

As a goalkeeper for Thomas Moore High School in Milwaukee, Wisc., she once made 45 saves in a game against the nation’s No. 1-rated team.

Three years later, playing keeper for the University of Charleston, the small but tough Borck led the West Virginia Conference in saves.

Now, at age 24, she’s the coach of the first-ever Mountain State University women’s soccer team.

“It’s an opportunity — a growing school, a growing community,” Borck said. “A soccer coach’s job isn’t isn’t thrown out there all the time for someone my age.”

Borck already has compiled a pretty fair resume, having led Capital High School in Charleston to a 9-9-1 record last year in her first head coaching job.

She’s also been an assistant coach at Hurricane High and headed the successful UC youth soccer girls travel team for three years.

Starting a collegiate soccer program from scratch certainly won’t be easy, but Borck been in tough spots before.

Her senior year at Thomas Moore she led her team into the state playoff quarterfinals against top-rated Waukesha Catholic Memorial.

Waukesha’s powerful offense completely dominated the game, sending shot after shot at the goal.

Yet only three of 45 shots got by the determined, 5-foot-4 Borck, and Moore lost by a respectable 3-0 count.

“It was brutal. The whole game was in our half of the field,” she said. “I was just going crazy, but I had nothing to lose.”

Amazingly, Borck had never played soccer before her freshman year. She was a basketball and volleyball player.

“I played in goal because I was athletic. I had a 25-inch vertical jump,” she said. “I was just a hustler.”

She chose to continue her education and play soccer at the University of Charleston because it was a “change of scenery.”

Borck was the Golden Eagles’ starting goalkeeper for four years. Her junior season she had 150 more saves than any other keeper in the WVIAC.

As a senior she was named all-conference honorable mention.

She liked West Virginia’s scenery and family-type atmosphere and decided to stay after graduation.

Borck taught 10th grade classes at Capital High and loved it. She also enjoyed working with the UC youth program and will continue to do so with Beckley-area teams.

And now she gets her big chance as a college coach. Her goal is to have 22 players on the MSU roster for next season.

“I’ve sent out over 150 letters, and I’m consistently talking to about 15 girls,” she said. “I’ve already handed out workouts to six girls already at MSU.

Borck’s expectations are high, and she can’t wait until next August.

“I hope to be better than .500,” she said. “I’m a little nervous, but the girls I’m talking to are great players. If I get them they’ll be a huge asset to a first-year program.

“I wish I had a team here already.”

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