Canon-Mac’s Murphy all-time best for Dukes

handling the ball. She regularly sends kicks 40 yards into the air, directly to the waiting foot of a teammate.

“She’s the best I’ve ever coached at playing the ball with her feet,” said Alvine, who spent five seasons as the coach at California (Pa.) before taking over at Duquesne in 2011. “She’s really just the complete package.”

At the age of 12, Murphy got “forced” into playing goalkeeper when her father, who was coaching at the time, asked that she join her younger brother’s indoor team. The team was playing in an older division and dad thought Kyra could add some maturity to the group.

“There were a few girls on the team, but it didn’t feel uncomfortable,” she said. “We just went out and played.”

Murphy said that, in time, goalkeeping began to suit her.

“Something just changed,” she said, acknowledging that she had to learn to become more vocal on the field, despite a reserved personality off it. “I’m not sure what it was. I began to enjoy it and decided to stick with it.”

Murphy said she would consider playing soccer professionally, but her priority is earning a degree in pharmacy. She carries a 3.3 grade point average in Duquesne’s highly regarded, six-year program.

“People have asked me about playing pro ball, but I have two more years of school left and then I’ll see where life takes me,” she said. “Right now, I’m enjoying my senior season and I want to keep helping our team win games.”