When Robert Morris women’s soccer coach Chris Shaw was recruiting Penn-Trafford’s Malia Kearns, he envisioned her as someone who could come in and help the program right away.
Looking back on Kearns’ recently completed freshman season, Shaw saw nothing to disprove his initial impression.
The diminutive forward was one of only three players to start all 18 matches for the Colonials. Her seven points (two goals, three assists) ranked third on the team, and her performance was recognized with a spot on the Horizon League’s all-freshman team.
The Colonials took their share of lumps.
With a roster heavy with freshmen and sophomores and still adjusting to competition in the Horizon League — this was just the Colonials’ third season there since moving from the Northeast Conference — Robert Morris finished 1-7-2 in the conference, though it broke even overall (7-7-4).
But the performance of Kearns, as well as other youngsters such as freshmen Renae Mohrbacher, Cali Laymon and Elisa Corvalan — each of whom logged more than 1,000 minutes for the Colonials — give the team a solid foundation for the future.
“Malia had a really good season,” said Shaw, who just wrapped up his third season on the bench.
“She was still a freshman, and that transition from high school and club to college is a big transition. She did well, but there are, obviously, areas of her game we’d like to see her improve on.”
For her part, Kearns said she was confident she could play right away.
“I wasn’t really thinking about awards,” she said. “I just wanted to make a powerful impact on the field, make as many goals as I can to help the team be successful.”
Shaw said Kearns’ abilities fit perfectly with how he wants the Colonials to play. His style emphasizes possession and moving the ball along the ground rather than using long, airborne passes.
Kearns stands just 5-foot-1 — “She’s probably smaller than your typical women’s Division I college soccer player,” Shaw said — but her technical abilities, quickness and elusiveness were perfect fits.
What both want to see moving forward is more goal-scoring.
“I’m probably going to work on my movement off the ball and producing opportunities in the final third,” Kearns said about her plans for the offseason. “For a freshman, I was pretty happy (with my production), but I think I could have had a few more (goals).”
Added Shaw: “I think (she needs) a little more confidence in goal-scoring positions, so maybe a little more composure to pick her spot and slot the ball home or a little bit more confidence to shoot the ball as opposed to passing. And the other thing is that final pass, seeing where those spaces are, seeing her teammates’ runs and putting those balls into dangerous areas.
“All things that she’s capable of and all things she was doing at the high school and club level. But now the players you’re playing against are bigger, faster, stronger, and the quality of that pass needs to be better, or you have to get that pass off your feet quicker.”
She found that out in Horizon League play. Both of Kearns’ goals and all three of her assists came during nonconference play.
Still, Horizon League coaches were impressed enough with her performance to give her the all-freshman nod.
Her 11 shots in conference matches ranked fifth on the team, and she logged 771 minutes in conference play.
Buoyed by her maiden voyage into college soccer, Kearns is eager to get into her offseason program so she can take another step next season. And she is optimistic about what the team can accomplish in the coming years.
“I think I improved in my ability to dribble and take players on,” she said. “We’re a very young team, so I think the future is bright for Robert Morris soccer.”
