MANHATTAN – Kansas State women’s soccer head coach Mike Dibbini announced on Tuesday the addition of junior goalkeeper Rachel Harris for the upcoming 2019 season.
Harris, a transfer from Arkansas, joins an incoming Wildcat freshmen class of six student-athletes that will compete for the program in its fourth season. The incoming freshmen for 2019 are: Kenzie Applegate (Coweta, Oklahoma), Jenna Brown (Claremore, Oklahoma), Cameron Illingworth (Santa Ana, California), Carly McConville (Newbury Park, California), Caylee Thornhill (Lenexa, Kansas) and Shae Turner (Kansas City, Missouri).
“We are extremely excited that Rachel will join our program in 2019,” said Dibbini about K-State’s new keeper. “She will bring a wealth of experience playing in the SEC at Arkansas. Rachel is a shot stopping, aggressive keeper and can play with her feet. She has the ability to make an impact and challenge our experienced returning goalkeeper in Emma (Malsy) and incoming freshman Cam (Illingworth). We are pleased to have good depth in such an important position.”
Harris comes to Manhattan after two seasons with the Razorbacks. The product of Huntington Beach, California, achieved a two-year record of 7-5-2 with three shutouts. In the 2018 season, Harris helped the program to a second-round NCAA Tournament appearance by tabulating a 1.25 goals against average with a .730 save percentage on 27 total saves.
She finished the season with a career-best 4-1-2 record including two shutouts and backstopped the Razorbacks to a 3-2 upset win over second-ranked Texas A&M on September 20.
In her freshman season of 2017, Harris carded a 1.80 goals against average with a 3-4-0 record and one shutout. She was the only freshman in the SEC to start a 2017 season-opener in frame and registered wins in three of Arkansas’s first four matches.
Prior to her time in Fayetteville, Harris played her club soccer with Slammers FC and participated in the U.S. Soccer 2015 Player Development Program (PDP) Id2 Invite in Aliso Viejo, California. While with Slammers FC, she helped win the 2015-16 ECNL Club Championship and finished with the lowest goals-against average in two consecutive seasons in 2014-15 and 2015-16.
Harris also backstopped Strikers International to the 2014 Cordial Cup in Tyrol, Austria, against European teams from Spain, Germany, France, Austria, and Switzerland.
Kansas State concluded its third season of action and its second in the Big 12 in 2018 with an overall record of 4-12-2. K-State set school records for total shots (236) and shots on goal (107) in a season and tied the school record for home wins with three.
The Wildcats were led in scoring during the 2018 season by junior Katie Cramer with seven points (two goals and three assists), while sophomore Brookelynn Entz trailed Cramer with six points (two goals and two assists).
K-State will begin play in 2019 at Buser Family Park, following its construction this winter and spring. Season ticket information for the 2019 season will be distributed in the spring.