When trying out for the OHS soccer team for the first time, Jacob Kiser (9) was not sure if he would make the team. However, after putting in the effort, he was successful and actually made varsity.
“…I just really went into there hoping I would do my best, giving it my all, and hopefully I would play with my brother,” Kiser said.
Kiser has an older brother who he looks up to and who inspired him to get into playing soccer when they were younger. Kiser’s older teammates also helped him improve and helped with confidence with being a freshman on varsity.
“…Say I make a mistake or I do something not as well, my teammates are always there for me to help me out and make me better,” Kiser said.
Kiser believes the bond he had with his teammates was an important part of the season, as having those friendships and people can help you.
“Just the big games that we show together, we’re just always there for each other, and it’s really great — it’s really awesome,” Kiser said.
During big soccer games, Kiser felt a lot of pressure on him, especially since he’s a freshman and many of the other teams he plays against are made up of players who are older and more experienced than him.
“…I mean, I am a freshman, so I gotta have a little bit of pressure and a lot of them are bigger and faster than me, so I just gotta go out there and try to do my best,” Kiser said.
One of the moments that Kiser felt the most pressure was during taken a penalty kick in the semifinals against Mehlville because it was the game that would determine where they would go next. Thought he missed his shot, in the future, Kiser hopes to play college soccer, and during the next three years of high school he has his goals on something else.
“…I got three more years ahead of me, so I’m gonna forget about that moment [missing my penalty shot in semifinals] and see if we can do better in the future,” Kiser said. “Maybe we can bring home a little title for Oakville…”