Welcome to Our First Player Profile!
The goal for these profiles will be to spotlight local players who love the game and represent the Kansas City soccer community. We’ll discuss things like the players’ soccer journeys, inspiration, and future goals. First up: Breanna Hays, Sporting Blue Valley ECNL.
This post is special to me . . . not just because it’s our first player profile but because I’ve known this player since she was little! Breanna Hays is a friend of my daughter’s. We’ve also shared Sporting KC season tickets with her family for years – for next year, they’re leaving us high and dry, trading in their Sporting tickets for Current tickets in search of more wins.
Growing up, my daughter and Breanna had a little dog walking business with another friend. Sadly, “Leashes and Love” shut down, and Breanna hung up her leash. But, along with my son’s first coach, Breanna was one of the first people to come to mind when I thought of local soccer people to write about.
Breanna is now making her mark in KC soccer with Sporting Blue Valley ECNL 2010.
Breanna was kind enough to placate me by answering my questions. She could have easily just said no, not wanting to associate herself with a new rinky-dink site. She even followed us on X (5 followers!). Theoretically, I’ll get better at this as I go, so thank you Breanna for being a guinea pig!
The Interview
KC: How did you first get into soccer, and what keeps you passionate about it today?
Breanna: My older sisters both played soccer, and that peaked my interest in the sport and wanting to follow in their footsteps. I still play soccer because of the love for the sport and the excitement it brings being able to play with a fun and talented team.
KC: What do you enjoy most about playing for your current team?
Breanna: The showcases and exposure I get playing with an ECNL team. It lets me compete in front of college coaches against the best players my age in the nation.
KC: How has your game evolved over the past few years?
Breanna: It has evolved the most by my speed of play. Playing at the ECNL level has really changed how quick I must play to keep the ball moving and keep it in possession.
KC: Who do you look up to in soccer, and what have you learned from them?
Breanna: I look up to Lydia Ungashick. She used to play with Sporting Blue Valley ECNL and at Blue Valley West high school which are both where I play now. I have learned how your mentality affects what kind of game you play. I watch her SMU games on TV and admire her intensity of play and leadership on the field.
KC: How do you stay motivated and focused through challenges or setbacks?
Breanna: I stay motivated by remembering the joy that soccer brings me when I do something well or when I have a good time at practice with my teammates and create fun memories.
KC: What makes the local soccer scene here special to you?
Breanna: I think that the local soccer scene I participate in everyday has a ton of talent and brings a competitive environment and makes everyone compete to be their best self. Many of the girls I play with or compete against I have known for years and it’s fun to compete against them in other sports as well such as cross country and basketball.
KC: What are your goals for the next few seasons – on or off the field?
Breanna: Some goals that I have set for myself are to commit to a D1 college for soccer and continue to train with the KC Current Academy team. On the field, I am currently working on improving my ability to turn away from pressure on the field and finishing in front of the goal.
KC: When does college recruiting get into full swing? Is that the main path top women players go through if they choose to continue in soccer? Or is there a separate professional path that is common? Will you and your teammates play high school in the springs? I’m not sure how that works these days! [whoa, compound question]
Breanna: I am currently a freshman at BVW high school. College coaches cannot officially offer you or talk to you about committing until June 15th after your sophomore year.
This past year I was selected to train with the Teal Rising KC Current academy and hope to be selected again this upcoming year and eventually get the opportunity to train and play with the KC Current II team. This path and program are brand new to Kansas City and I am so excited to be a part of it. This spring I also plan to play for my high school and then eventually for a college program that fits both my academic and soccer goals.
KC: What do you enjoy doing outside of soccer?
Breanna: I also enjoy playing basketball as another sport and hanging out with my friends in my free time.
KC: I know you’re a smarty and your parents are both nerds; any idea yet what you’d want to study in college?
Breanna: I have no idea yet.
KC: How’s Nelly? [Breanna’s angel-face of a dog]
Breanna: She has torn her acl but she is pushing through it.
KC: True or false? Years ago, you were in a book club with my daughter, and the group would gather to discuss the books and then also for some reason it would occasionally turn into a full-fledged impromptu wrestling tournament.
Breanna: No comment.
KC: True or false? You had book club t-shirts with the club name on them – “Books of Fire” (a play on the titles of the clubs’ first books in the “Wings of Fire” series).
Breanna: No comment.
KC: Granted, soccer is not everything . . . but is there anything soccer-specific that you’re most proud of?
Breanna: Playing ECNL.
Wrapping Up
I wanted to go watch a game as part of this, but apparently Breanna’s games this weekend are in Detroit. I guess that’s the way things are done these days.
Thank you Breanna! Hugs to Nelly. Tell her to take it easy! And good luck Sporting Blue Valley ECNL 2010!
– KC
📝 Author’s Note If you know a local player who’d make a great feature, reach out! The KC soccer community is full of stories worth sharing. Contact us here or email KC@socKCer.com.