The opposing team has the ball as they head down the soccer field preparing to kick the it into the net to make the winning goal. One girl stands between the ball and another point for the opposing team – the goalie. Seconds tick off the clock as the game draws to an end. The ball is kicked and senior Alleea King lunges to stop the ball. The point is saved and victory is secured as Alleea has the ball trapped safely in her hands.

Alleea has been playing soccer since her freshman year. She currently, plays goalie and has grown to love the sport throughout her high school years as she has bonded with her teammates.

“I enjoy soccer because of the team aspect,” Alleea said. “The players make it more fun and enjoyable.”

On the soccer field, Alleea has had several successful moments, even some of them leading her team to a victory.

“Last year I helped the team get second place in district and then we went to the playoffs,” Alleea said. “I made second team all region at and first team all-district, then this year I got to commit to keep on playing at Jacksonville College.”

Head soccer coach Christopher Gibson recognizes Alleea’s passion for soccer, and how hard she works during games and practices.

“She is a very determined worker,” Gibson said. “When she has a problem area to work on, she works hard on it to establish muscle memory for the games, “She does a great job of talking to players during the game to get them in the right spot and encourage them to keep working.”

Gibson also notices that Alleea’s leadership on the team helps the soccer team feel more motivated.

“She wants to see her team and herself succeed on the field.” Gibson said. “She pushes herself to be better so the team can be better, she knows if she is focused on the task at hand and ready to play that day’s opponent, then the team will be in a better position to be successful.”

Teammate senior Kamryn Frenzel appreciates Alleea’s leadership skills and appreciates how she improves the team.

“She’s a leader during practice because she always tries her hardest,” Kamryn said. “ She’s also a leader during games because she plays goalie so she can see the whole field and she can see everything going on during the game, which is helpful in telling us where we need to fill in, where we need to go, who we need to mark, and where we need to be.”

Kamryn says the dynamics of the soccer team is positive and acknowledges how they interact as a family.

“Often times we have team bonding in order to get that chemistry between us so that we can have chemistry on the field.” Kamryn said. “It provides a good balance that helps us succeed as players.

Alleea also believes that the soccer team is a family and appreciates the bond all of the team shares with each other.

“Everyone cares, everyone talks to each other especially on the bus rides, and we learn a little more about one another,” Alleea said. “We each fit in any way, we don’t have to have everything in common we just fit in.”

Alleea plans to continue playing soccer after high school and hopes to use the opportunity at Jacksonville to hone her skills.

“I’m going to Jacksonville College because it’s close to home,” Alleea said. “ I also need to develop a little bit more because I haven’t been playing for long, so I need the skills and the time to develop so that I can get a scholarship to go to the D1 school I want to go to.”

Kamryn sees Alleea pushing herself to obtain her goals as she works to continue playing soccer after high school.

“Over the last couple of years, Alleea really started working harder,” Kamryn said. “I could see that switch this year where she seemed extremely motivated and always trying her hardest. She’s always pushing other girls on the team to try their hardest to.”

Alleea sees how the lessons soccer has taught her through the last few years will continue to have to have an impact on her life forever.

“I have learned a lot about work ethic.” Alleea said. “If you want something bad enough, you have to put in the work and continue to put in the time. It’s not going to be easy every time, it’s not going to be a fast thing, but the work you put in is what you get out of it.”