Yusef Roach, Staff Writer

University of Missouri – St. Louis women’s soccer player Kaylee Neutzling, senior, criminology is a force to be reckoned with and a leader on her team. In her senior year, the Edwardsville, Illinois native and Lewis and Clark Community College transfer leads her team in scoring with four goals over the course of the last seven games. Kaylee sat down with us to discuss school and team responsibilities, and how she balances the two so well.

The Current: How long have you been playing soccer?

Kaylee Neutzling: I think I was six when my mom signed me up.

TC: How do you balance academics and athletics?

KN: It’s not easy. Well we have a lot of time, like when we go on away trips, [Head Coach Bobby Lessentine] gives us study halls for four hours or so. On away trips we have a lot of time to study because we leave on Thursdays, and then play Friday. But we’ll leave Thursday morning, so we have all day Thursday, then we play Friday, then all day Saturday when we’re traveling and stuff, then Sunday we’re playing again.

TC: What are your responsibilities and how do you motivate your peers, especially when things get rough?

KN: Talk to them. Just let them know that it could be a lot worse, show them more of the positives. Because a lot of people think we’re losing all this time, but really the teams that we’ve played are, like, top of the conference so far. Our losses are to teams that are one through four in the conference. I just try to keep them focused, because once you lose your head, your confidence level is gone and you’re not going to do stuff on the field, that’s how I am, at least. I try to keep them focused and motivated.

TC: Have you been able to utilize any talents you learned off the field on it and vice versa?

KN: Yeah, I used to be, like, a hothead in high school; I would just freak out about everything. One thing would go wrong, and I used to get so mad. That used to happen on the field too. They double-team me a lot, so I’d get really frustrated, but I’ve learned to calm down, and know that it’s a plus when they’re double teaming me, then obviously I’m doing something right.

TC: How’s the season going so far, in your opinion?

KN: Well we had a bad weekend, but its okay. Our record could be better but I think once we figure out the formation that [Lessentine] wants, we’ll be fine. Normally soccer is a 4-4-2, but with the plays that we have, he wants to get the best eleven on the field. This year we have a lot of good players, so he wants to get the best eleven on the field at the same time. So he’s trying to mix it around, so he only has me playing up-top as the lone forward target player. Every game he’s trying something different, trying to figure out who plays best with each other.

TC: What is your goal this season?

KN: I want to see this team be above .500. Last year we finished below .500 so coming into the season, I made the goal of finishing .500 and making the [Great Lakes Valley Conference].

By: Yusef Roach, Staff Writer