Every team has a sense of what it does well on the field, and the desire to make its presence known.
But for the ASU soccer team, there’s something else: a quiet confidence that comes from its performance off of the field, and speaks volumes about the type of team it really is.
“Our grade point average is a huge pride point for us,” junior midfielder Carly Kallas said. “It’s the first thing we tell the incoming freshman.
“We take it seriously; it’s not [just] about fun and games.”
Kallas, an elementary education major, earned All-Academic Pac-10 Conference honorable mention honors last year.
The squad as a whole has managed to maintain the highest GPA among athletic teams for five consecutive years. Last season, the team boasted an overall 3.61 GPA and had 11 team members earn academic accolades from the Pac-10.
“It’s all about balance,” Kallas said. “That’s the key. Once you have the routine, it gets pretty easy to manage school, work and practice.”
Kallas admitted she doesn’t have a lot of free time. However, she also added it doesn’t change her desire to do well in school.
“We want to be the best at what we do, whether it means grades or playing soccer,” Kallas said. “It’s hard to do … but it’s a good tradition that we have been able to keep.”
And coach Kevin Boyd agrees.
“I think as a whole, they are very academic because traditionally, soccer hasn’t been a sport with a lot of professionals,” he said. “A career as a professional women’s soccer player doesn’t really exist. With that in mind, these athletes know they need to be students.”
Reach the reporter at emiley.darling@asu.edu.
