Kayla King received her first yellow card when she was 4. She hasn’t let up ever since. The San Benito High senior continued her aggressive ways and stayed dedicated to soccer, and all of the hard work paid off when she verbally committed to play for Jacksonville University, a Division I program in Florida.
“I honestly couldn’t describe how I felt when they offered me a scholarship,” said King, who committed in September and will sign her letter of intent on Feb. 4 (Feb. 3 is the first day men’s and women’s soccer and men’s water polo players can sign for the 2016-2017 incoming athletes. “I can’t wait to get my college career started.”
King actually committed and de-committed to the University of Tampa before committing to Jacksonville. King said she also had offers from Arizona, Oregon, Ohio State and St. Mary’s, but the combination of Jacksonville’s offer along with the environment made it too good to pass up.
“I fell in love with the campus right away,” King said. “I loved everything about it.”
The 5-foot-9 King plays midfielder and forward for the Haybalers, but she plays defender for her club team, the powerhouse De Anza Force program. Although King has literally played every position at some point during her career—including goalkeeper—she prefers the wing back position.
Wherever King is slotted, one thing is certain: She’s going to battle for every ball. King received interest from several college programs because of her physical attributes—you can’t teach height—along with her leadership qualities, persistence and vision.
“They said when I knew I wanted something, I would go get it done,” she said.
King has two assists for a San Benito team that is 1-2-1 entering Friday’s game against North Salinas. King played her first two years at Sobrato High, racking up over 40 goals in the process. A lifelong soccer player, King started playing for a club team when she was 8, honing an array of skills along the way.
King was born and raised in Hollister before her family moved to Morgan Hill when she was in the fifth grade. She transferred to San Benito for her junior year after her family returned to Hollister. King credited her parents, Albert and Mary, her two older brothers, Skyler and A.J., and several friends for supporting her every step of the way.
King said Skyler has inspired and pushed her to heights she could have never imagined.
“He’s been a huge role model,” King said. “He’s showed what it means to work hard, to go and get something you want bad and to not let anyone or anything stand in your way. He’s the one who didn’t let me skip a workout just because I didn’t feel like going. He would tell me that another girl would be two steps ahead of me if I skipped a workout, and that really helped because I ended up going to those workouts because I needed to.”
While Skyler pushed Kayla in her training, A.J. always picked her up when she needed an emotional lift.
“A.J. has been the one to pick me up when I would fall,” said King, who also said some of the coaches she’s had in her life—Seth Alberico, Troy Carson, Ted Vandenberg and the De Anza Force’s Jeff Baicher—have played huge roles in developing her game.
“Jeff taught me how to handle the responsibility of being a captain and a leader on and off the field,” King said.
