Sept. 29, 2010

As Katie Kelly prepared for spring practice prior to her senior season, she decided to take her training efforts to a new level. Kelly had already been a successful member of the Navy women's soccer team, but she felt she could give more to her training regimen and to her team.

"I realized that I didn't want to have any regrets and that this is my last year to do things," said Kelly. "I wanted to act the right way and do things right. I wanted to practice the right way so that on the field, I would do everything I could possibly do for our team."

Kelly's increased commitment didn't go unnoticed by her coach, who saw the improvement she made in her training turn her into a better player and a better leader.

"Katie made a huge jump last spring by training as hard as she could all the time," said head coach Carin Gabarra. "Now she's a much better player because of it. She's also a much better leader and people look up to her a lot more because of the way she presents herself every training session."

Kelly is now a three-year starter on Navy's defensive backline. She has appeared in 76 career games and has helped the Mids post 38 shutouts during that span, an average of one clean sheet every other game.

However, she has saved the best for last, improving each season and playing the best soccer of her career as a senior.

"That's the process of being at the Naval Academy," said Gabarra. "We expect our players to get better and stronger every year. We expect them to train hard and we expect them to do that in all parts of their lives here. Katie has really embraced that and has made sure it is evident all the time."

Part of Kelly's growth has been her development as a vocal leader on the field. Defense is a cornerstone of Navy's program and Kelly has embraced her role as the coordinator of the backline.

"I try to focus on being consistent, being a communicator and being an organizer," said Kelly. "It's really important for our backline to be organized and I think we've been getting better over the last couple of games."

Gabarra's system relies on all 11 players being defenders at all times and she depends on Kelly to keep the defense's shape on the field.

"Katie's a vocal leader back there and she's also looked up to as a senior," said Gabarra. "Defending is what we're all about. It's always been the biggest part of our program and Katie's been steady and we rely on her communication skills to get that done."

Although Kelly has increased her role on the team this season, she has always been an important contributor to Navy's strong defensive unit.

The Mids ranked first or second in the Patriot League in goals allowed per game in each of Kelly's first three years, with the high-water mark being her sophomore season.

It was Kelly's first year as a full-time starter and she helped the team rank 12th in the nation with a 0.60 goals-against average. Navy allowed only 14 goals in 22 games and advanced to the Patriot League Championship.

Kelly's play was solid during that 2008 season and she hasn't relinquished her starting position as a central back since.

"Katie has all the good attributes of a center back," said Gabarra. "She's mobile, she's quick, she's fit and she's pretty good in the air. She also likes to go forward and has good timing coming out of the back and she's composed on the ball as well."

One of Kelly's biggest strengths as a defender is her ability to win 1-on-1 battles with opposing attackers.

"I try to think 'I'm getting the ball' and if not, I'm trying to slow them down and change what they are trying to do," said Kelly. "I look for the mistake that they're going to make. Sometimes I'll wait for a touch where they play it just a little too much and in front of them where they don't have complete control anymore and that's when I make my move."

Kelly and the Navy defense have helped the team to a 6-5-1 record and the Mids are carrying momentum from back-to-back wins into Friday's Patriot League opener at defending league champion Colgate.

As usual, a key for Navy against Colgate will be the play of Kelly and her organization of the backline.

And as Kelly continues her strong play this season for the Mids, it is evident that her commitment to her training has made her a better player, leader and teammate.

## Go Navy! ##