Sophia Kahlert, a freshman at Desert Vista High School fell in love with Soccer in 7th grade. 

When asked how she got into it, she said, “Well, I think it’s been like 3 to 4 years, I’m not quite sure but my friend was like, oh yeah, we have an opening on the soccer team, you should join.” Said Sophia. “And honestly, I didn’t expect to make the team. And then I made it, and I was really surprised because I had never played soccer. And I made the varsity team and I was really confused. But then I ended up liking it so much and I just like stuck with it.”

When asked if soccer is very important to her, Sophia responds with, “It’s very time-consuming to like go to soccer practice, do all the stuff, go home, and it takes a lot out of my schedule but the community there, like the family we have, I love it, it’s so fun.

I went on to ask Sophia if there was anyone she looked up to when it came to soccer, whether that be a coach, teammate, or famous player. 

“No.  But I feel like I don’t need to look up to someone as long as I try my best and do what I can,” said Sophia.

She goes on to describe her love for the sport. 

“It’s everything because when you’re on the field it just becomes so fun,” said Sophia.

I asked her the question that many athletes face in their career, have there been any challenges that have made you want to quit? Her response was inspiring. 

“Yes. In the beginning, I didn’t really have any friends and so, I think what helped was just people giving me pointers out like “hey, try doing this next time” and it may not turn out the best but I’ll keep practicing it and I’ll eventually get there. And I still have a lot to learn, but I still think I can do it.”

As she continues to improve and focus on her goals, Sophia has hopes she can make one of the girls’ soccer teams here at Desert Vista.