By Ember McElrath 

Southmoore High School senior, Kylie Strotman, is working hard to be a great soccer player as well as a leader.

“What inspires me is probably just the idea that I’m working hard to be ready to play in college,” said Kylie. “And just not wanting to be the person that weighs the team down.” 

Kylie plays defensive midfielder for the Lady Sabercats and she doesn’t stop there, she is also a player of the club soccer team, Norman Celtic, where she is an outside defender. 

When it comes to balancing school, soccer, and teenage life, dealing with COVID may have made her senior year a little more relaxing than normal. 

“This year I’ve been able to balance school and life by doing online classes,” said Kylie. “I have three to four days a week where I try to complete my schoolwork for the week and then I’m able to relax and do personal things on the other days.” 

Her motivation to get her work done quickly for school and to push herself in soccer comes from her love of the game. 

“My passion for the game helps me to stay motivated,” Kylie said. “When life outside of soccer gets hard you are able to just forget about it for a couple of hours and just play and it’s like the perfect escape.” 

Kylie got introduced to soccer when she was just four years old. 

“I feel like I was always at the soccer field because I had an older brother and sister who also played and when we weren’t at the soccer fields, we were in the backyard playing,” said Kylie. 

After high school Kylie plans to attend the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma and continue her soccer career. 

Kylie is not only looked up to by other players, but her coaches hold her in high regards as well. 

“Kylie has a high soccer IQ; she reads the game well and is a great defender,” said coach Swartzendruber. “She is one of our captains and we will rely on her experience, leadership and playmaking ability this year.”