Jayla Erpelding takes a free kick in a 10-0 loss against Bishop Miege on Tuesday. " />
Jayla Erpelding takes a free kick in a 10-0 loss against Bishop Miege on Tuesday.
Soccer has always been an integral part of Jayla Erpelding’s life.
Erpelding began playing when she was just 4 and the sport stuck with her.
She played in recreational leagues up until second grade when she made the jump to a greater competitive level. She played with various clubs up until five years ago when she began playing for Kansas City Scott Gallagher Soccer Club.
The club offered Erpelding perspective on how talented other regional players were. She did not make the top team at the club and then she began asking questions of herself.
“I was really having a lot of doubts on if I was capable enough to go play,” Erpelding said. “I took it pretty hard at first because I was so set on my future being that for so long. I had made soccer part of my identity. I didn’t know what I was gonna do after high school.”
With uncertainty about her future, she still felt like it was the place for her to be. After a talk with her club coach reassuring her that she had the ability to play at the next level, she chose to take a step toward realizing that potential.
“I realized I wasn’t the absolute best I could be,” Erpelding said. “But then I just pushed myself harder to get to where I needed to be.”
That motivation helped push her to get to the point where she was confident about taking on the next challenge at the collegiate level. Erpelding recently said she intends to attend Newman University to further her soccer career after high school.
Even though she had experiences with other schools through camps or visits, she said something about Newman stood out to her.
“I was getting looked at by them for a while,” Erpelding said, “I did my visit recently when I went there and it’s kind of just that feeling where it was just like you fit right in.”
She said the decision felt like a culmination of the effort and work she had put in to put herself in a position to play at the college level.
“I think that makes my little soccer self very proud,” Erpelding said. “When I went to Newman, I definitely thought, yep, college is definitely what I want.”
For soccer head coach Darren Erpelding, her decision provides a scope into multiple viewpoints of her soccer journey: as her coach and as her father.
“As a dad, it’s a really cool thing,” Erpelding said. “I mean, especially now getting it done, so now she can just play. That’s really nice that she can just kind of relax and play a little bit, not stress and worry if she had a bad game or a bad touch or whatever. Just seeing my own kid succeed in the arena that she loves to play in is really neat to see, and she’s really excited to go there. It’s a really –it’s a proud moment as a dad.”
From his coaching viewpoint, the decision provided a reflection of her on-the-field development and her continued dedication to improving.
“Seeing herself becoming a leader, doing things to get herself to that level is really awesome to watch,” Erpelding said. “I’m really proud of her on both fronts for sure.”
Teammate senior Liz Mueting said playing with Erpelding over the past three years has displayed not only her skillset on the field but her dedication to the sport.
“I’ve been playing with her since she was a freshman, and I definitely see her passion and her love for soccer,” Mueting said. “I just congratulate her. That’s awesome that she keeps getting to keep playing.”
Reach reporter Nathan Swaffar at [email protected].
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