North Carolina State University Athletics
Upper 90 With Hannah Keogh
9/25/2018 10:56:00 AM | Women's Soccer
RALEIGH – GoPack.com sat down with senior captain Hannah Keogh of the NC State women's soccer team after its 6-0 win over Pittsburgh on Sunday afternoon. A defender that's played nearly every minute over the past four seasons, she scored her first career goal in the 34th minute to give the Wolfpack a 2-0 lead heading into halftime.
Q: On Sunday you scored your first career goal. You've said before that it was a goal of yours to score this season, so what was it like to see the ball to go into the back of the net?
A: "It was really fun. We had worked on that exact finish at practice on Saturday, so it was really fun to take what we did in practice and do it in a game. I usually get the assist so it was cool to have my own moment where I actually got to score."
Q: You scored one of six goals in the game, so what was that like for the team morale to shut out an opponent 6-0?
A: "It was great for us. We did that to a few teams last year, but this year we hadn't had that moment yet where we all clicked on the same day and really put a team away. It was really good momentum for us going into Duke this Thursday."
Q: So you guys are halfway through the season and have really made some great strides once again. The team has picked up some good wins over teams that made the NCAA Tournament last year and has put together a strong RPI. How is the team feeling at this point?
A: "We're definitely feeling very confident. It hasn't been necessarily a slow start, but we just hadn't really clicked before the Pitt game. Despite our two losses we always found a way to win, we kept finding a way to get past tough teams."
Q: You guys haven't scored as much as you would have liked, but what does that say about the talent level of the team? You guys have found a way to win even though it wasn't exactly the way you had hoped to.
A: "I think it says a lot about us because we've had to play the full 90 minutes. We haven't scored many early goals, so we've really had to grind it out at times into the last few minutes of the game or into overtime just to get that goal."
Q: You've played just about every minute on the field and you're a three-year captain. What does that say about your presence on the field and how you lead and motivate your team?
A: "That question goes back to my freshman year. We had such a rough year that I, as well as the rest of my classmates, all learned how we need to communicate on the field and how we can push each other to make other better. I think that's the biggest thing that I've come into. With Jenna (Butler) being a freshman starter, knowing how I felt as a freshman I'm able to motivate and lead her in the proper way."
Q: Now that you're halfway through your senior year, does it feel surreal that you're almost done?
A: "It doesn't really register with me yet that I'm almost done. In mind I just think to myself that we'll finish whenever we finish, and I'll come back in January to train just like every other year, even though I won't. It probably won't hit me until I hang up my cleats."
Q: Everyone feels super confident about what the team can do this season, so how do you hope to see the rest of the year play out?
A: "I think the immediate goal will be to win the ACC regular season championship. Past that we made it to the semifinal of the ACC Championship last year so our goal is to win that as well. I also believe we're a team that could push to make a run for a national championship."
Q: With the ACC Championship semifinals and final as well as the College Cup all being played at WakeMed in Cary, how cool would that be to basically play in your backyard on those stages?
A: "It would be awesome. My freshman year the ACC Tournament was played in Raleigh and it was packed out with tons of soccer fans because of the NC Courage, so I think it would be an awesome atmosphere to play in."
Q: On Sunday you scored your first career goal. You've said before that it was a goal of yours to score this season, so what was it like to see the ball to go into the back of the net?
A: "It was really fun. We had worked on that exact finish at practice on Saturday, so it was really fun to take what we did in practice and do it in a game. I usually get the assist so it was cool to have my own moment where I actually got to score."
Q: You scored one of six goals in the game, so what was that like for the team morale to shut out an opponent 6-0?
A: "It was great for us. We did that to a few teams last year, but this year we hadn't had that moment yet where we all clicked on the same day and really put a team away. It was really good momentum for us going into Duke this Thursday."
Q: So you guys are halfway through the season and have really made some great strides once again. The team has picked up some good wins over teams that made the NCAA Tournament last year and has put together a strong RPI. How is the team feeling at this point?
A: "We're definitely feeling very confident. It hasn't been necessarily a slow start, but we just hadn't really clicked before the Pitt game. Despite our two losses we always found a way to win, we kept finding a way to get past tough teams."
Q: You guys haven't scored as much as you would have liked, but what does that say about the talent level of the team? You guys have found a way to win even though it wasn't exactly the way you had hoped to.
A: "I think it says a lot about us because we've had to play the full 90 minutes. We haven't scored many early goals, so we've really had to grind it out at times into the last few minutes of the game or into overtime just to get that goal."
Q: You've played just about every minute on the field and you're a three-year captain. What does that say about your presence on the field and how you lead and motivate your team?
A: "That question goes back to my freshman year. We had such a rough year that I, as well as the rest of my classmates, all learned how we need to communicate on the field and how we can push each other to make other better. I think that's the biggest thing that I've come into. With Jenna (Butler) being a freshman starter, knowing how I felt as a freshman I'm able to motivate and lead her in the proper way."
Q: Now that you're halfway through your senior year, does it feel surreal that you're almost done?
A: "It doesn't really register with me yet that I'm almost done. In mind I just think to myself that we'll finish whenever we finish, and I'll come back in January to train just like every other year, even though I won't. It probably won't hit me until I hang up my cleats."
Q: Everyone feels super confident about what the team can do this season, so how do you hope to see the rest of the year play out?
A: "I think the immediate goal will be to win the ACC regular season championship. Past that we made it to the semifinal of the ACC Championship last year so our goal is to win that as well. I also believe we're a team that could push to make a run for a national championship."
Q: With the ACC Championship semifinals and final as well as the College Cup all being played at WakeMed in Cary, how cool would that be to basically play in your backyard on those stages?
A: "It would be awesome. My freshman year the ACC Tournament was played in Raleigh and it was packed out with tons of soccer fans because of the NC Courage, so I think it would be an awesome atmosphere to play in."
Players Mentioned
Defender
/ Women's SoccerMeet Head Women's Soccer Coach Gary Higgins
Friday, December 20
EmpowHER - NC State Women's Soccer's Book Club
Wednesday, February 07
EmpowHER: Women's Soccer
Tuesday, February 06
2023 NC State Women's Soccer Season Recap
Monday, December 11