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When Kate Murphy, a Plano, Texas, native, returned to her home state to play SMU on Sept. 12, many of the defender’s family members and friends were in attendance.

Murphy was surprised, though, when she spotted her high school coach, Darrin Hedges, on the sideline during warmups. Hedges hadn’t watched Murphy play in six years, so he dropped everything to see the match.

Hedges noted Murphy’s attentiveness on both sides of the ball during the game. But Murphy’s usage in SU’s offense didn’t surprise Hedges, who routinely used Murphy as an attacker when he coached her at Ursuline Academy of Dallas.

Murphy’s experience under Hedges and with D’Feeters Kicks Soccer Club has helped her fill an offensive role at Syracuse while starting on its backline. For the Orange, Murphy regularly takes corner kicks and initiates set pieces. Murphy has notched two goals and five assists over her five years at SU, giving it an offensive spark despite being a defender.

“As a defender, you don’t really get a lot of moments to go forward,” Murphy said. “So when I have that opportunity, I really want to take advantage because it does feel nice to put one in the back of the net and not defend the whole time.”

Early on in Murphy’s soccer career, she either slotted in as a forward or outside midfielder. But, she became a defender in eighth grade to contend with stronger forwards at higher levels.

At Ursuline, Murphy found it hard to balance club and school soccer, so she quit playing there for the time being. Instead, Murphy played exclusively with D’Feeters during her sophomore and junior years.

D’Feeters head coach Adam Flynn’s philosophy is that everyone should attack when the team has the ball. As a result, Murphy was often involved in D’Feeters’ offense.

“Our team had more of an emphasis for people in that position to attack, getting in the attacking half and making things happen in the opposition side,” Flynn said.

Because Murphy is left-footed, Flynn often involved her on offense when D’Feeters possessed the ball on her side of the field. She’d also take corners and free kicks from the right, allowing the ball to curl in toward the net.

Since D’Feeters only practiced three times per week, Flynn credits her success to her individual work. Murphy’s father, Robert, said she went to as many one-on-one lessons as team practices to develop her game.

“I think she felt unprepared if she didn’t do practices outside of her club practices,” Robert said. “She’d get anxious that she wasn’t keeping up with it enough.”

Following Murphy’s junior year, Ursuline changed coaches, bringing in Hedges. Murphy rejoined the team after her friends convinced her to return for her final season.

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Since Hedges came from Bishop Lynch High School, a rival school about 30 minutes away, he assumed he knew every Ursuline player. But he was stunned when he saw Murphy easily cutting down forwards on the first day of practice. Hedges thought she was a transfer student since he’d never seen her before.

“Me and my staff had no earthly idea about this kid that you know is going to make an impact on your team after watching her play for 15 minutes,” Hedges said.

As an offensive-minded coach, Hedges constantly implemented Murphy on both sides of the ball. Like Flynn, Hedges stuck her on corners to gain an advantage. As a result, Murphy recorded three goals and six assists on the year.

After high school, Murphy wanted to play collegiately, but struggled to gain attention. She received offers from small schools, but remained hopeful she could attend a Power Five university.

Murphy took an official visit to Syracuse late in her senior year, spending a full day with some players. The next morning, Murphy was adamant she needed to go to SU when speaking with her parents. Soon after, she committed to the Orange.

“She wanted to play in the ACC, she wanted to play big time,” Murphy’s mother, April, said.

In Murphy’s first two seasons with Syracuse, she was used sparingly, starting just nine games. She didn’t record a single point on five shots.

But that changed in Murphy’s junior year, when she started all 17 matches in SU’s backline. Syracuse head coach Nicky Thrasher Adams began using her further up the field due to her high-school experience. It paid off immediately, as she totaled four goal contributions during the campaign.

Murphy had to adjust to Syracuse’s more complicated offense. She learned to keep her head on a swivel, as college defenders were better at breaking up plays from behind.

SU dealt with numerous injuries last year, forcing Murphy to stay on defense. Though in 2024, with Syracuse mostly healthy, Murphy has slotted back into an offensive role with Adams regularly drawing up plays to get her scoring opportunities.

“I think we’re a lot stronger in all areas of the field now, so it’s easier for me to go up,” Murphy said. “Last year, we were on defense quite a lot, so I didn’t really have those opportunities.”

For Murphy, the biggest game this season was against SMU, despite it not showing up in the stat sheet. She posted only one shot in a 4-1 Syracuse loss.

Still, Murphy felt like she was playing club soccer again, with all her friends and family shouting her name from the stands. Since Syracuse is over 1,500 miles from Plano, Murphy hadn’t had more than her immediate family members watch her play in college.

According to April, Murphy’s energy was high for all 90 minutes against the Mustangs. While Syracuse lost, it was a fitting way for much of her family to see her play for the final time.

“We thought, ‘What a way to go out,’” April said.

Published on October 9, 2024 at 11:55 pm

Contact Noah: njnussba@syr.edu | @ Noahnuss99