Player Spotlight - Karminna Mora Gaytan ‘25

Karminna Gaytan ‘25 is the star goalkeeper of the Women’s Club Soccer Team! She has always done tremendous work on the field; from masterfully blocking score attempts to being a positive light that her teammates can always count on. Karminna is graduating this year and therefore will be greatly missed by her team and the SMC community. Here are some fun facts about Karminna:

Major:

I’m a Communications major at Saint Mary’s College.

Favorite SMC Soccer Memory:

Senior Night, for sure! Playing the sport I loved for 12 years for the last time, surrounded by my teammates, friends, and family, was a special day that I will never forget. 

What I’ll Miss Most About My Team:

The bond we all share—on and off the field. It’s such a supportive, fun, and hardworking group. I’ll really miss the energy at practices and all the little moments that made this team feel like family.

What is a show that you’ve binge-watched?

Friends, I could rewatch it a million times and still laugh at every episode.

From her coach, Carly Marks ‘23:

“Starting on the team freshman year as a shy midfielder, to finishing on the team as our star goalkeeper, Karminna Gaytan has gone above and beyond for her teammates on the Women's Club Soccer team. I have had the opportunity to play alongside her when I was doing my undergrad studies at Saint Mary's, and can remember recognizing her talent and passion for the game. Coming back as a coach I was thrilled to see she still was interested in playing with the team, and her enthusiasm to play has certainly been evident! Karminna shows up consistently to practice ready to work hard and give it her all. She brings such a positive attitude and energy to the soccer field and is constantly uplifting and encouraging her teammates to be the best that they can be. In her senior night speech, she wanted to make sure and recognize her teammates, for (and I quote) "showing her that family does not have to be blood related", which is a perfect reflection of her character and her kindness towards others. On the field, she has worked incredibly hard to stop as many goals as possible for our team, and has been a leader on and off of the field for her teammates. We are going to miss her tremendously on the team next year, and are wishing her the best in all of her new endeavours!”

Karminna’s Instagram Handle: @karmina09_