In 1985, George Mason opened the season with a 3-3 tie against North Carolina and finished the regular season with a 14-2-1 record. The Patriots opened the NCAA Tournament defeating William & Mary 3-2 on penalty kicks, advancing to face Cortland State. After Mason defeated Cortland State 1-0, the Patriots blanked Massachusetts 3-0 to reach the Championship game against North Carolina on Nov. 24. Mason hosted both the semi-final and championship games and in front of a stadium crowd of 4,500 and millions in an ESPN nationally televised NCAA Championship game, George Mason topped three-time defending champion North Carolina 2-0 to claim the title.
As the 30th Anniversary of the George Mason Women's Soccer 1985 National Championship approaches, GoMason.com will catch up with several members of the 1985 squad. Up next is Kim Maslin, a junior goalkeeper on the team from Rutledge, Pa. Maslin made a stop against William & Mary in the shootout that allowed Mason to advance and kept a clean slate against UNC in the Championship game. After graduation, Maslin played in goal for the U.S. Women's National Soccer Team. George Mason will celebrate the Anniversary of the Championship and host Alumni Weekend this season, October 24-25 when the Patriots host George Washington on Sunday at 2 p.m.
Kim Maslin Kammerdeiner has been a Health and Physical Education teacher for 20 years in the Northern Virginia area. She married her college sweetheart and the couple has four children: Kaitlyn who is a NICU nurse at Georgetown Hospital and Mason alum, Brendan who is a junior at West Virginia, Meghan who is a senior in high school and will attend The Ohio University to play soccer in the fall and Molly, a sophomore.
In Mason's first NCAA game against William & Mary, the Patriots advanced defeating W&M in a shootout, 5-4. What was your mindset when the team began the shootout and it just comes down to two players on the field?
In our first NCAA game vs. William & Mary, I'm not going to lie, I was scared to death that we might not move on in the Tournament. It was my first season in goal as a junior and I did a lot of praying that season just to make it through each game. We truly only moved on because of sheer grit and will power. I was thrilled to be in the shootout because I loved PK's and I was sure I could make one save. I left the line early two times and the referee made us restart each time. By the third time, the shooter hit the ball to my right, I got my right hand on the ball and it cleared the post. I was the luckiest keeper ever!
Having faced North Carolina already in the season, from your position, what were you expecting the Tar Heels to bring to the game? Did you already know how they operated?
After facing UNC so many times before I was again scared to death! I hated them but had the utmost respect for their team. I knew they could finish like no other team and the pressure would be immense. Once again I was the luckiest keeper ever because they hit the crossbar a few times and each time I think my heart nearly gave out on me. At one point I really didn't know if I was coming out or staying on my line because I was so rattled. I remember yelling 'Kleeper' for a few balls instead of 'Keeper' because I was so indecisive and didn't know if I wanted to get the ball or have the defense clear the ball. I'm sure that without the backs we would have never won that game!
What was the biggest moment of the tournament for you? Any specific play you remember being monumental?
The biggest moment for me in that game was when the whistle blew in the end. I jumped for joy, laughed and cried all at once. I was so overcome with emotions it was unreal. We had such a special group of ladies on that team. We had so many struggles throughout that year and so much go wrong that it was incomprehensible that we could've won a National Championship. I still tell so many stories from our amazing adventures with that team and I always say we could actually write a book.
You were one of two goalkeepers named to the All-Tournament Team. What did that mean to you?
Being named one of the two keepers to the All-Tournament team opened so many doors for me. I was asked to try out for the US Women's National Team. If we hadn't beaten Anson Dorrance and the UNC women's team, I would not have been given that opportunity.
As a member of the National team I was able to travel all over the world and play for our country and play on the first women's World Champions soccer team. I have now coached 33 years and coached at all levels. I have been able to touch the lives of so many amazing young women and men through this sport. I have lived an amazing life and have told my children all the time how blessed my life has been. It's more than I've ever dreamed. All of this has happened because I played this game and with these awesome ladies from Mason whom I call my sisters. Our love is so deep with this team and we will always be part of each other's life.
