In Final Season, Women's Soccer Goalie Transitions to Midfielder

One door closes, and another opens. Plagued by a worsening back injury, it seemed unlikely that goalie Bethany Kanten would continue her Crimson career. But for Kanten, the Harvard women’s soccer senior goalie-turned-midfielder, it was only natural to leave her place between the posts and return to the field.

“I talked to my long-time coach and friend about the decision,” Kanten said. “He told me, ‘You haven't been training all of these years to be a goalkeeper, you've been training to be a soccer player.’”

Soccer had been a main part of the Park City, Utah native’s life since she could walk. At the age of two, Kanten began her soccer career as a field player, following in her older brother’s footsteps. When Kanten turned 14, her coach moved her to goal. But due to her desire to play both positions, she played for two teams—in goal for one and at midfield for the other.

But when she donned a Crimson uniform in 2011, Kanten focused solely on her job between the posts, tallying with 15 appearances and 44 saves in her rookie season to help her team to a 9-3-1 record and an Ivy League Championship.

“She was a great goalie for us,” junior forward Emily Mosbacher said. “Her skills with her feet made her such an asset in the goal.”

She put up similar stats in her sophomore season, and everyone expected that Kanten would continue improving.

Few people knew, though, that Kanten’s back had been ailing her since freshman year.

“It's been a struggle for me to continue playing in the goal for as long as I did,” Kanten said. “I was always in pain after practice and games.”

As the seasons went on, Kanten’s back pain intensified. She said she suspected her junior season might be her last in goal, but it was still a difficult realization to come to. As she had feared, Kanten was told at the end of her third season that she would not be allowed to continue in goal.

“I knew that Bethany had back problems, but finally hearing how much pain being in goal had put her in was terrible,” Mosbacher said. “As sad as it was that Beth couldn't play in goal anymore, I think it made for an exciting time in her soccer career.”

For most goalies, this news would signify the end of their careers. Kanten, though, had the advantage of starting out as a field player, so it was fitting that she would end her soccer career as she started it: on the field.

“Not being able to be a part of the team and contribute to our success wasn't a decision that I was ready to make at that point,” the former goalkeeper said. “I felt like I still had something left in me to give to the team, and the thought of not being around those girls everyday made the decision to play on the field an easy one.”

Although the switch meant Kanten would continue to spend time with the team, it also meant she would spend far less time with her fellow goalies, senior Cheta Emba and sophomore Lizzie Durack. But both Emba and Durack, along with the rest of the team, supported and motivated Kanten during the transition and throughout the year, according to the former goalie.

Kanten was able to translate some of her most important goalkeeping skills onto the field—notably, communication across the field.

“As a goalkeeper, one of your primary jobs is to be constantly talking to your defenders about where they should be moving to, or where the other team's attacking players are,” Kanten said.

In addition to her vocal presence on the field, Kanten was a constant threat to score. Her leg strength and shot placement, developed from years of practicing punts and goal kicks, meant that she could score from practically anywhere on the field. She had the highest shot percentage on the team, placing six of nine shots on target, most of which came from outside the box. She scored three of these nine shots to finish the season as one of the team’s top-five goal scorers.

Kanten proved that she still had her goalie’s kick in a game against University of Rhode Island, when she scored from 30 yards out.

“Being able to be on the other side of a goal was such a positive experience for her and our whole team exploded in that moment,” Mosbacher said. “She was so happy and we were so happy for her.”

Kanten returned to goal once this season, and made a career-high 11 saves for the Crimson against BU.

“I'm grateful for the impact soccer has had on my life and all of the amazing, strong, insightful people I have met along the way,” Kanten said. “I'm proud that I was a part of this team for four years and have made some of the closest friends that I'll have for the rest of my life.”