Alexander comfortable in final season
Greg Burghardt
She guards a goal that stands nearly three feet above her head and is the last line of defense in a game where goals are rare.
But fifth-year senior Kari Alexander is most comfortable there now and has made her mark as a goalkeeper in CMU soccer history.
“As a goalie, if you make a mistake there is nothing but the net behind you,” Alexander said. “The hardest part is choosing what battles to fight and not getting too down on yourself.”
During her career, opponents have had a hard time finding the back of the net. She is CMU’s record holder in shutouts with eight and is 16 saves away from setting the all-time record. She credits those accomplishments to her intense mental focus.
“You can’t ever slip out of the game,” Alexander said. “Once you stop focusing you are gone. You might only get one shot in 45 minutes and you have to make sure you don’t drift off.”
She came to CMU as a walk-on with unrefined talent. She had played soccer most of her life but did not become a goalkeeper until her days at H.H. Dow High School in Midland. Coach Mark Salisbury was recruiting high school and CMU teammate Jennifer Williamson at the time, but when he saw Alexander he told her to come out for the team.
“Central was my last option, I did not even apply until February of my senior year,” she said. “They were the only school that offered soccer and special education, so by coming here I didn’t have to change my major.”
Alexander had no formal goalkeeping training prior to college. In high school, she was told to stop the ball any way she could. When she came to college, however, there was a major difference.
“Overcoming my lack of skill was the toughest thing and it is taking years of practice and the desire to play,” she said.
Alexander was redshirted her freshman year and only saw action in three games the following season, but she never doubted herself.
She credits her work ethic and her family for helping her through those times.
“In my family, you were not allowed to quit and give up,” she said.
Her sophomore year was her most successful season. She became the starting goalkeeper and finished the season with a 10-8 record. She had a 1.03 goals against average and set a school record with four shutouts.
When she got her chance to compete, she knew what she had to do and capitalized on the opportunity.
“I knew that I could play, it was just a matter of getting the skill level up,” Alexander said. “By being given the chance to play and improve I have been able to reach my goal.”
Williamson and Alexander have been teammates for the past 11 years and Williamson has seen Alexander transform from a beginning goalkeeper into a top-notch college athlete.
“In our time that we have played together she has become a very reliable and intelligent goalie,” Williamson said. “She has become a great team leader due to her commitment to excellence.”
Her leadership is especially important in her final season. Her new role is the grooming of talented freshman Anne Decker, who has split time with her this season.
Decker was an All-State first-team performer out of Troy, and played on Michigan’s Olympic Development Program team for three years. Instead of being jealous of the newcomer, Alexander has helped ease Decker’s transition.
“She is someone I can look up to because she knows everything that I have questions about,” Decker said. “She has been here for a while and people look up to her.”
This year, Alexander started three of the team’s first seven games and owns a record of 1-0-1. She did not play in last weekend’s games, but Salisbury said she brings intangibles to the team, and her influence stretches beyond the pipes.
“She brings a level of maturity, expectations, and organization that young players need to learn about,” Salisbury said. “We need her to be someone that freshmen can look up to and say ‘there is somebody who has set the bar high and demonstrates how I want to be when I’m a senior.’”
| Year | Games | GAA | Shutouts |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 2 | 0.00 | 1 |
| 2001 | 19 | 1.03 | 4 |
| 2002 | 19 | 1.79 | 3 |
| 2003 | 4 | 1.18 | 0 |
| Totals | 58 | 1.32 | 8 |
