Clinton striker reflects on career

With the court full of calls for the ball and the players carefully playing a scrimmage on the hardwood, the Lady Horses were prepping for their week of conference play. Kenzy Yang is the second highest scorer on the team and the senior is ready to aid Clinton in another deep run in the playoffs.

Yang has been on the pitch since she was 3 years old and has become an integral part of the Lady Horses. To date, she has 14 goals, nine assists and a total of 37 points, her passion for the games shows in how she plays on the pitch, always primed and ready to take a pass for a shot or send one out, feeding her teammates goals as well.

Yang was poised when called over for the interview and went right into it. She spoke on the bittersweet feeling that has been looming over her, given that this is her last year. In the background, the Horses could be heard celebrating a goal and Kenzy couldn’t help but watch her team. She spoke fondly of her experience as a Dark Horse and how her teammates and the lessons learned through the sport have changed her.

“I love the close knit group we’ve become. This team and my club team and the tightness that we have together and wholesome,” she said. “I’ve got lifelong friends now because of soccer. I’ve grown up playing with most of these girls and it’s really sweet to have. Soccer teaches you life lessons, like how to work as a team, how to handle adversity, how to win and lose. Just so much more than soccer itself.”

Over the course of her time on the pitch, she has played multiple positions. Her foundational position was midfielder, this time running back and forth, playing the setup the game helped prepare for her role as striker. She even played goalie as a freshman which only furthered her wisdom in soccer to help her see how to position herself better for scoring chances.

“You could put me anywhere and I would love it.”

Over time and position shifts, she has been molded into a striker and her contributions have aided in Clinton’s multiple deep runs in the playoffs. Yang spoke about her love for striker that extends far beyond just scoring.

“I’m not gonna lie, I love scoring and finishing the ball,” she said with a wide smile. “But I love knowing that I’m person the team can trust to get that goal and do make plays as well, I love helping to develop plays as well.”

She shifted gears and discussed the strength of the team which she said was their resilience. Yang cited their game against Franklin Academy, where they fell by one in a tight game where that goal was the sole score of the match. That game she said was a heart-breaker for the team and she said that despite their record not being the best, the Lady Horses have remained stoic and firm in their resolve.

Though that loss was rough, she said she enjoys those tough games and though Yang loves scoring a lot of goals, the matches where the stakes are high and the challenge seems insurmountable are the ones she relishes. With plenty of soccer left to play, Yang is feeling good about the season ahead, especially having a strong showing in their strong performance in their first three conference games.

“Hopefully, coming into the playoffs we’ll be in our peak and in our best shape. We’re hoping to make it back to the state playoffs like we did two years ago. I we can definitely do it, we just have to work hard and earn, and not go in there overly confident. We can’t just go out there all confident, I think that has been our downfall in the past. I think with this team, we’re really good about staying humble and knowing our limits.”