University of North Carolina Athletics
Alex Kimball
GoHeels Exclusive: Kimball’s Determination Sparks Tar Heels
November 28, 2018 | Women's Soccer, Featured Writers
UNC senior and Chapel Hill native has been a key contributor
By Alex Davis-Isaac
UNC Athletic Communications Student Assistant
She is talented, determined and full of heart. She has played in every line: defense, midfield and forward. She may be graduating in May, but one thing is certain; fifth year senior and soccer player Alex Kimball has left her mark as a Tar Heel for years to come.
A Tar Heel is born
Alex Kimball's dream of being a Tar Heel dates back to her elementary school days. When she was eight years old, Kimball's family moved from Utah to Chapel Hill. One of Kimball's neighbors was none other than former Tar Heel soccer player Jessica Maxwell, a dynamic athlete who was a part of two national title teams.
After meeting Maxwell, it was not long before Kimball was introduced to the legacy of UNC women's soccer in Chapel Hill.
"I got used to the culture of UNC women's soccer when I moved here," Kimball remembers. "I saw all these big names come through, so the dream of being a Tar Heel clearly started at a young age."
She idolized Maxwell, and as Kimball continued developing her soccer skills, Maxwell helped Kimball with her training. Maxwell became an influential role model for her, and Kimball will never forget the day that Maxwell gave her one of her old Carolina practice jerseys.
It was during Kimball's eighth grade year, after a brief (and regrettable) hiatus to play softball, that another influential Tar Heel entered Kimball's life.
Cindy Parlow, four-time All-American soccer player at UNC and a two-time Olympic gold medalist, was Kimball's coach for club soccer in eighth grade.
"She put the idea in my head that I had the capability of playing for a school like Carolina," Kimball recalls. "That's when it hit me that I might have a chance to play there…but I wasn't super confident in the reality of that happening."
Parlow came into Kimball's life during a time where she needed guidance, and she left a lasting impact on Kimball as both a person and a player. She was also the one who helped Kimball talk to the recruiting coordinator to get her on Coach Anson Dorrance's radar.
While Kimball claims she was late to the game, her progress as a soccer player throughout high school was slow and steady. She started getting a little bigger, a little stronger and a little faster. The rest was history.
From Dreams to Reality
Carolina had always been Kimball's dream school, but towards the end of her high school career she came close to committing to Virginia Commonwealth University. There she was recruited by yet another former Tar Heel soccer star, Tiffany Roberts.
Kimball remembers her last recruiting conversation with Roberts, when she told her that she was interested in Carolina.
"I remember Tiffany telling me on the phone, 'I can't even recruit against Carolina, I know how special that program is,'" Kimball said. "Tiffany understood as soon as I brought Carolina into the conversation that my heart was already sold. She knows firsthand what it's liking playing for UNC."
The day Dorrance made his offer was the day a lifelong dream came true. It was an easy decision for Kimball to make, and after that phone call, she got in the car with her mother and balled her eyes out.
"Who would've thought out of all these little girls in Chapel Hill that I would actually make it?" Kimball said. "Not only to be a part of the team, but to have an impact on the field. People were telling me I was never going to play, but look where we are now."
Little did Kimball know that the hardest days of her soccer career at Carolina were yet to come.
An Uphill Battle
Kimball suffered from a torn hip labrum that began during her junior year of high school. The pain progressed gradually, and by her sophomore year at UNC, she was in immense pain.
She underwent surgery to repair her hip in the spring of her sophomore year at UNC. Kimball's goal was to be ready by the fall preseason, and she worked hard to follow rehab protocol. As the new season rolled around and Kimball teetered on the edge of recovery, she gave it her all on the field, playing with everything she had even though her pain persisted. Her junior year also happened to be the year Carolina went to the College Cup.
"We were having such a good run, but I was in serious pain and I really couldn't play more than 80 percent of my ability, and my mom kept telling me to go to the doctor, " Kimball said. "But I was a part of that team, a part of the line-up. Maybe I would've taken myself out if I had nothing to do with it, but I felt like I was impacting even if I was not at full strenghth."
Following that season, Kimball was left to pay the price, with a partially torn capsule in her hip. She had no choice but to declare a red-shirt year and to dedicate her time to a full recovery. Recovery was nothing but a steep, uphill battle. Practice was painful for Kimball, even heart-wrenching. It was a really trying time in her life, both physically and mentally.
"I just wanted to be out there so bad," Kimball said. "I even had a couple doctors tell me I should never play soccer again, that I should just stop because my body wasn't built for it."
But Kimball's determination was unwavering, and with the help of her weights coach, Jason Beaulieu, Kimball came back into the following season more fired up and ready to play than ever before. She was ready to prove to her team what she could do.
Over her five years at Carolina, Kimball has left her all on the field. Playing with a fiery passion and dedication to the sport and the team that she loves. Coach Anson has been a valuable mentor and leader, and the memories she has made on and off the field are unforgettable.
What comes next?
As for her next adventure, Kimball has big dreams. She will enter the end-of-year NWSL draft, but she is particularly interested in playing overseas, since she has family in Peru although she has never been outside of the U.S. She has a trial with the Peruvian national team, and she plans on going to Peru for a month to spend time with family and meet with the national team after she graduates.
"The birdy is ready to leave the nest," Kimball joked. "But Chapel Hill will forever hold my heart. Just the environment of Carolina, this loving community I have been a part of… I don't think you can find that anywhere else."
And while Kimball may be ready for her next adventure, she still has some unfinished business left at Carolina.
"I've had some pretty incredible memories here; playing in the College Cup, scoring my first collegiate goal, making so many close friends," Kimball said. "But we still have a lot to prove this season, and I think some of my best memories are yet to come."
Kimball will help lead the Tar Heels into her second College Cup match this Friday, at Wake Med Soccer Park where UNC has played its home games the past two seasons. UNC will play undefeated and second-ranked Georgetown in the semifinals, as the Tar Heels hope to capture their 23rd national championship. Kimball may be a key piece in the puzzle of making that happen.
UNC Athletic Communications Student Assistant
She is talented, determined and full of heart. She has played in every line: defense, midfield and forward. She may be graduating in May, but one thing is certain; fifth year senior and soccer player Alex Kimball has left her mark as a Tar Heel for years to come.
A Tar Heel is born
Alex Kimball's dream of being a Tar Heel dates back to her elementary school days. When she was eight years old, Kimball's family moved from Utah to Chapel Hill. One of Kimball's neighbors was none other than former Tar Heel soccer player Jessica Maxwell, a dynamic athlete who was a part of two national title teams.
After meeting Maxwell, it was not long before Kimball was introduced to the legacy of UNC women's soccer in Chapel Hill.
"I got used to the culture of UNC women's soccer when I moved here," Kimball remembers. "I saw all these big names come through, so the dream of being a Tar Heel clearly started at a young age."
She idolized Maxwell, and as Kimball continued developing her soccer skills, Maxwell helped Kimball with her training. Maxwell became an influential role model for her, and Kimball will never forget the day that Maxwell gave her one of her old Carolina practice jerseys.
It was during Kimball's eighth grade year, after a brief (and regrettable) hiatus to play softball, that another influential Tar Heel entered Kimball's life.
Cindy Parlow, four-time All-American soccer player at UNC and a two-time Olympic gold medalist, was Kimball's coach for club soccer in eighth grade.
"She put the idea in my head that I had the capability of playing for a school like Carolina," Kimball recalls. "That's when it hit me that I might have a chance to play there…but I wasn't super confident in the reality of that happening."
Parlow came into Kimball's life during a time where she needed guidance, and she left a lasting impact on Kimball as both a person and a player. She was also the one who helped Kimball talk to the recruiting coordinator to get her on Coach Anson Dorrance's radar.
While Kimball claims she was late to the game, her progress as a soccer player throughout high school was slow and steady. She started getting a little bigger, a little stronger and a little faster. The rest was history.
From Dreams to Reality
Carolina had always been Kimball's dream school, but towards the end of her high school career she came close to committing to Virginia Commonwealth University. There she was recruited by yet another former Tar Heel soccer star, Tiffany Roberts.
Kimball remembers her last recruiting conversation with Roberts, when she told her that she was interested in Carolina.
"I remember Tiffany telling me on the phone, 'I can't even recruit against Carolina, I know how special that program is,'" Kimball said. "Tiffany understood as soon as I brought Carolina into the conversation that my heart was already sold. She knows firsthand what it's liking playing for UNC."
The day Dorrance made his offer was the day a lifelong dream came true. It was an easy decision for Kimball to make, and after that phone call, she got in the car with her mother and balled her eyes out.
"Who would've thought out of all these little girls in Chapel Hill that I would actually make it?" Kimball said. "Not only to be a part of the team, but to have an impact on the field. People were telling me I was never going to play, but look where we are now."
Little did Kimball know that the hardest days of her soccer career at Carolina were yet to come.
An Uphill Battle
Kimball suffered from a torn hip labrum that began during her junior year of high school. The pain progressed gradually, and by her sophomore year at UNC, she was in immense pain.
She underwent surgery to repair her hip in the spring of her sophomore year at UNC. Kimball's goal was to be ready by the fall preseason, and she worked hard to follow rehab protocol. As the new season rolled around and Kimball teetered on the edge of recovery, she gave it her all on the field, playing with everything she had even though her pain persisted. Her junior year also happened to be the year Carolina went to the College Cup.
"We were having such a good run, but I was in serious pain and I really couldn't play more than 80 percent of my ability, and my mom kept telling me to go to the doctor, " Kimball said. "But I was a part of that team, a part of the line-up. Maybe I would've taken myself out if I had nothing to do with it, but I felt like I was impacting even if I was not at full strenghth."
Following that season, Kimball was left to pay the price, with a partially torn capsule in her hip. She had no choice but to declare a red-shirt year and to dedicate her time to a full recovery. Recovery was nothing but a steep, uphill battle. Practice was painful for Kimball, even heart-wrenching. It was a really trying time in her life, both physically and mentally.
"I just wanted to be out there so bad," Kimball said. "I even had a couple doctors tell me I should never play soccer again, that I should just stop because my body wasn't built for it."
But Kimball's determination was unwavering, and with the help of her weights coach, Jason Beaulieu, Kimball came back into the following season more fired up and ready to play than ever before. She was ready to prove to her team what she could do.
Over her five years at Carolina, Kimball has left her all on the field. Playing with a fiery passion and dedication to the sport and the team that she loves. Coach Anson has been a valuable mentor and leader, and the memories she has made on and off the field are unforgettable.
What comes next?
As for her next adventure, Kimball has big dreams. She will enter the end-of-year NWSL draft, but she is particularly interested in playing overseas, since she has family in Peru although she has never been outside of the U.S. She has a trial with the Peruvian national team, and she plans on going to Peru for a month to spend time with family and meet with the national team after she graduates.
"The birdy is ready to leave the nest," Kimball joked. "But Chapel Hill will forever hold my heart. Just the environment of Carolina, this loving community I have been a part of… I don't think you can find that anywhere else."
And while Kimball may be ready for her next adventure, she still has some unfinished business left at Carolina.
"I've had some pretty incredible memories here; playing in the College Cup, scoring my first collegiate goal, making so many close friends," Kimball said. "But we still have a lot to prove this season, and I think some of my best memories are yet to come."
Kimball will help lead the Tar Heels into her second College Cup match this Friday, at Wake Med Soccer Park where UNC has played its home games the past two seasons. UNC will play undefeated and second-ranked Georgetown in the semifinals, as the Tar Heels hope to capture their 23rd national championship. Kimball may be a key piece in the puzzle of making that happen.
Players Mentioned
Midfielder
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