North Carolina State University Athletics
Upper 90 With Kia Rankin
8/24/2018 1:38:00 PM | Women's Soccer
After earning her first start of the season due to injury, Kia Rankin scored a goal 15 minutes into Thursday night's 1-1 draw with East Carolina. She played a total of 81 minutes and tallied five shots. GoPack.com sat down with the junior forward on Friday morning to discuss her experience.
Q: What was it like to finally get back into the lineup last night?
A: "I've been waiting for that moment ever since I had surgery. It's definitely been a long time coming, but it was super exciting when Tim (Santoro) told me that I was going to start last night. My teammates have been super encouraging every step of the way, and it was just an awesome feeling to see all of the rehab and work that I've been doing with Tracy (Yoshikawa) and Craig (Turner) finally play off. It was a fun time."
Q: How was it to score that goal 15 minutes in?
A: "I went into the game telling myself to just play simple because I had a few nerves, but then to score 15 minutes in that was the icing on top of the cake. It was an incredible feeling. That's how I would love to start every game, but it was definitely a special feeling because it was my first game back. I have to give credit to Krissi (Schuster) and Zee (King) for having that nice combination and then Krissi finding me back. It was a good feeling."
Q: Was it a big confidence booster?
A: "Definitely. Scoring goals isn't everything, but as a forward you're supposed to score. Especially with that being my first game back that really helped my confidence."
Q: What was something that you've learned throughout the rehab process?
A: "I know everyone always says this and it's kind of cliché, but just trusting the process. It was hard at times going through it but I do think it's made me a stronger person. You never know how long you have, so it's made me learn to cherish everything I have. There were times I questioned why I was even going through it because it was so hard. I had to trust everyone in that they knew what they were doing and that my time would come. The encouragement from my teammates was really helpful. I think I'm stronger mentally now than I was before surgery."
Q: Is there something you missed the most while you were recovering?
A: "There's not anything in particular, I missed it all. I would stand on the sidelines during training, and watching the team do drills and was wishing I could be a part of it. On game days, it's always so exciting so it was a heart break when I couldn't play, but at the same time I learned to embrace my new role and encourage my teammates on the field and the bench. I think it was good for me to find a new way to be a teammate."
Q: Now that you're back, what do you want to accomplish this year?
A: "I think this is the best team we've had since my freshman year. Every year we've gotten a lot better, and I truly think that this is our year. We have the chance and talent to make it to the College Cup and win a national championship. I think we also have the capability to be ACC regular season champs and win the ACC Tournament. Right now we're working to clean up some things, but we're playing well and our time will come. Big things are ahead for this program this year."
Q: What was it like to finally get back into the lineup last night?
A: "I've been waiting for that moment ever since I had surgery. It's definitely been a long time coming, but it was super exciting when Tim (Santoro) told me that I was going to start last night. My teammates have been super encouraging every step of the way, and it was just an awesome feeling to see all of the rehab and work that I've been doing with Tracy (Yoshikawa) and Craig (Turner) finally play off. It was a fun time."
Q: How was it to score that goal 15 minutes in?
A: "I went into the game telling myself to just play simple because I had a few nerves, but then to score 15 minutes in that was the icing on top of the cake. It was an incredible feeling. That's how I would love to start every game, but it was definitely a special feeling because it was my first game back. I have to give credit to Krissi (Schuster) and Zee (King) for having that nice combination and then Krissi finding me back. It was a good feeling."
Q: Was it a big confidence booster?
A: "Definitely. Scoring goals isn't everything, but as a forward you're supposed to score. Especially with that being my first game back that really helped my confidence."
Q: What was something that you've learned throughout the rehab process?
A: "I know everyone always says this and it's kind of cliché, but just trusting the process. It was hard at times going through it but I do think it's made me a stronger person. You never know how long you have, so it's made me learn to cherish everything I have. There were times I questioned why I was even going through it because it was so hard. I had to trust everyone in that they knew what they were doing and that my time would come. The encouragement from my teammates was really helpful. I think I'm stronger mentally now than I was before surgery."
Q: Is there something you missed the most while you were recovering?
A: "There's not anything in particular, I missed it all. I would stand on the sidelines during training, and watching the team do drills and was wishing I could be a part of it. On game days, it's always so exciting so it was a heart break when I couldn't play, but at the same time I learned to embrace my new role and encourage my teammates on the field and the bench. I think it was good for me to find a new way to be a teammate."
Q: Now that you're back, what do you want to accomplish this year?
A: "I think this is the best team we've had since my freshman year. Every year we've gotten a lot better, and I truly think that this is our year. We have the chance and talent to make it to the College Cup and win a national championship. I think we also have the capability to be ACC regular season champs and win the ACC Tournament. Right now we're working to clean up some things, but we're playing well and our time will come. Big things are ahead for this program this year."
Players Mentioned
Forward
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