Sports

ATHLETE PROFILE: KAYCEE GREENE

By Jenelyn Russo     5/15/2017

Kaycee Greene grew up playing soccer, but stepped away from the sport as she pursued Irish dancing. In her final year at Cornelia Connelly High School, she returned to her roots on the pitch for one more season.

“This year, I decided to join the (soccer) team, kind of on a whim,” says Greene, “and I really love it.”

 

The senior and outside midfielder has loved playing again. And while the transition back into the sport was challenging at first, her coaches and teammates have made it all worthwhile.

“The whole team has been so welcoming,” says Greene. “They all have been playing soccer with each other for a little bit, and I’m kind of the newbie. It was really nice that they were all so encouraging for me to get back into it.”

While Greene has enjoyed the experience of getting back to something she hasn’t done in a while, it’s those around her who have benefitted from her return.

“Kaycee is an extremely hard working individual,” says Connelly varsity head soccer coach, Evelyn Gomez. “She’s always eager to learn and do better. My assistant and I refer to her as the ‘energizer bunny,’ because she never stops giving 110% every game, until the whistle blows. When we went up against teams twice our size, Kaycee would get knocked down and pop right back up. She would never give up. It’s been such an honor coaching Kaycee.”

The 18-year-old admits that getting back into the game has brought a number of life lessons to the surface, concepts Greene will take with her as she studies psychology in college.

“Definitely teamwork is incredibly important in soccer, as well as outside of soccer,” says Greene. “It definitely teaches you that you have some faults, and so does everybody else. And everybody has their own strengths. It’s important to recognize those and work on those.”

In addition to Irish dancing, which she has participated in for more than 13 years, Greene also serves her campus community as president of the Student Ambassadors program and as a member of National Honor Society (NHS).

The Huntington Beach resident looks forward to playing recreational sports in the next phase of her education, and has cherished the opportunity to play alongside her Koala teammates, where sisterhood and faith play a big role, both on and off the field.

“I think it’s super important to rely on things like that for confidence,” says Greene of faith and prayer.

Wherever the roads take her, she’s grateful for her mother, her role model, who has served as both her coach and her biggest supporter.

“She was my coach when I was little. She taught me everything about soccer that I know,” says Greene. “I just love her so much. She’s so encouraging and supports me in everything that I do. I really look up to her.”