Over the course of the past four years at N.C. State, senior goalkeeper Kim Kern has started in all but ten games, which were all during her freshman campaign.

The stability that Kern has brought to the Wolfpack has led her making over 200 saves and, more importantly, 13 shutouts in her four-year tenure.

That mark put her tied for fifth overall in shutouts in State history.

And with the Pack only scoring one goal in four out of the six contests on the season, Kern’s ability to shut teams out has played a vital part in the team’s 5-1 record through the first six games.

Technician sat down with Kern to talk about her season thus far and how important changes in the soccer scene, not just at State, have brought more excitement to the game of women’s soccer.

Technician: Four of the six games this season have ended with the team scoring only one goal. How important do you think it is for you to go out and get a shutout for the team?

Kim Kern: It’s really important to me. As a team the past few years we haven’t been known to put a lot of goals away in games. That’s kind of been our weakness. So anything I can do to stop the other side and keep it the score zero really helps the team. It’s definitely not just me though. We’ve also got great defenders in front of me. We have three senior defenders and a freshman who have been doing an outstanding job in front of me.

Technician: Soccer goalies do rely much more on the defenders in front of them to help stop the ball before it ever reaches you. How much help is it for you to have those defenders in front of you?

Kern: It’s insane how much easier they make it. Not only are they good, but they have an attitude about them that they don’t want anyone to beat them. They have learned so much from their freshman year to their senior year that helps them to stay composed and more comfortable at the position.

Technician: You’ve taken over the No. 5 spot in shutouts in N.C. State history. How special is that for you?

Kern: It was crazy to hear. I didn’t even know it when it happened. I found out after reading an article on Go Pack about it. Shutouts are really difficult in soccer, no matter what team we’re playing, so it’s really cool to be high in the rankings in that. I would love to move up to fourth in the rankings, even though I don’t know how many more I would need, before I leave here.

Technician: Who on the team over the last four years have you grown closest with?

Kern: I would probably have to say Meagan Proper, especially over the last year. We’ve spent the last four years together and have kind of become friends because of that. She played for CASL when I played for CASL, but we really didn’t know each other all that well. I didn’t really think that we would get along back then, but when she came to State we became friends. It’s much better to have her on my team then have to play against her.

Technician: What is one of your favorite stories from the time that you’ve spent at State?

Kern: Every preseason, during one night practice, Steve [Springthorpe] tells us to get a lot of rest – and we all know what’s coming next. We do this thing called the “Dena Fartlek.” It’s gotten longer each year. Last year it was 60 minutes and this year it was 70 minutes. They just tries to test how hard she can push us without us stopping. They do so many different things just to try to make us miserable, but it’s just something that we all know is coming every year. We all dread it, but it’s cool because everyone always finishes it even though we always feel like we’re not going to make it.

Technician: With the Women’s World Cup playing so recently, do you feel that has brought more fans and excitement to the game?

Kern: It started last year with the Men’s World Cup. That got so much more attention than any previous World Cups. Last year it was so fun and this year it was time for the women and they made it more exciting because they went so far in the tournament. I think it really made people understand that women’s soccer isn’t just some boring sport, but rather that it can be really exciting. I feel like we’ve definitely had more fans out so far than we have in previous years.

Technician: Do you think the changes to the stadium, with the new seats and pressbox, have also brought more fans out to watch?

Kern: I think that’s made a really big difference. When we have more fans out there, they tend to help us out a lot more than they think. The stands behind the goals are still the best to me. When you have fans behind the goals distracting the goalie by screaming out, “Left! Right!” to tell the other goalie which way to go, it makes a huge difference. Having more fans out there to help us is great for us and I think the new look of the stadium has brought more fans out.