At the Morgan Hill Sports Complex soccer field, it’s easy to point out the leader of the Sobrato girls soccer team.
Standing in the middle of the field at her center-mid position, freshman Kayla King points and shouts. It’s something that is expected every practice and game for head coach Paul Nishimatsu when it comes to King.
Despite her youth, she is a leader among the Bulldogs both vocally and by example.
“She is always supportive and able to communicate well,” Nishimatsu said. “She keeps the team moral up. Your strength on the team has to be down the center of the field. Wherever I put her I have a strength. It’s always positive.”
And in her first year on the pitch as a member of the Bulldogs, King has been a revelation despite Sobrato’s 2-6-2 record. Of the 16 Bulldog goals, King has put eight balls into the back of the net and is Sobrato’s main offensive weapon.
“Being so young but in terms of her play, it’s very mature,” Nishimatsu said. “She is able to read really well. She has really good vision. She becomes an integral part of our attack mostly. There are other things that we can do better with but as far as an attack center-mid, that’s her game.”
After playing soccer since she was four – and traveling club soccer since she was seven – it’s been a smooth transition into the high school game for King, she said.
“Helping me with my experience is that it’s not just me on the field,” she said. “It’s just who I play with. And with the best teams, I’ve had ups and downs. But it’s not just me. The skill level I have on each team is amazing so they build me into the player I am today.”
And soccer has become more than just a sport for King, it’s an important part of her life.
“It’s been one crazy ride,” she said of the sport. “I’ve had my ups and downs but I’ve always stuck with it. I’ve had some other sporting events that I’ve tried to do but it always came down to when I was little I had to make big decisions. And it’s either this sport or you play soccer. And it’s always been soccer for me. Soccer is a big part of my life.”
King continued: “I really don’t see myself doing anything else.”
During her time with four travel teams from the Mountain View Los Altos Soccer Club to her current De Anza Soccer Club, King has always had a connection to soccer, she said. It’s become a part of her personality.
“I had the connection with soccer more likely because it fit who I was and who I am,” she said. “It’s just something I’ve been around for awhile. I’ve always watched the World Cup and I’ve wanted to be something for little kids. I want them to be able to look up at me and say I want to be like her. That’s my ultimate goal.”
And that hard work sets a good example for the rest of the team, Nishimatsu said.
“She is a girl that really works hard even at practice,” he said. “Everything that transcends on the practice field she brings here. You can’t have more than that and she is a freshman.”
Regardless of leading the team in goals, King cares more about being a leader and helping others become leaders on the field.
“I feel like soccer is a sport where you have to use your voice and if you don’t it wont go the way you want it,” she said. “When you use your voice people can hear you and you become a leader on the team even if you’re not the captain. You’ve got to be the leader on the field and I try my best to be that type of player.”
She continued: “I do consider myself a leader but it’s not just one player on the field, there are 10 others. They all can have the same leadership that I have. We all have the same exact leadership but someone needs to step up to lead us to better success. And if I can do it, I’ll do it.”
So far that hasn’t translated into wins, but they are coming.
“Despite the record, the team is going to start clicking soon,” King said. “Once we click, we are going to be a very successful team. Once that happens things are gong to go really well for us.”
