The Rush of Seeing the Ball in the Net
Sep 06, 2022 | Soccer, Sports Extra
By: D. Scott Fritchen
The topic is the art of scoring a goal, and well, Kansas State senior forward Kyler Goins struggles to describe it all. For her, scoring goals seems to be a tad easier than discussing them.
"The moment before the goal, you have composure, but once you score, it's like, 'Man, I want another one,'" she says. "It's hard to explain. Your adrenaline is pumping so hard that you don't even realize you scored. But I want another and another."
Goins is tied for second all-time in K-State history with eight goals. She also is tied for fourth with 17 career points. Last season, she had the best year of her career — four goals, eight points, 35 shots and 13 shots on goal during her second season with the Wildcats.
At 5-foot-5, the native of Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, is a magician with the soccer ball. And that's what K-State needs as it prepares for its final two home non-conference matches against Yale (Friday) and Colorado State (September 15) before traveling to South Dakota State (September 18). K-State then opens the Big 12 Conference season at Iowa State on September 22 in Ames, Iowa.
"Most of her work from winning balls and defending high is allowing her to open up her game a little bit more," K-State head coach Mike Dibbini says. "She's understanding her role as a leader."
Senior Marisa Weichel calls one of her closest friends "a ball of energy."
"I love Kyler," Weichel says. "I'm so proud of her. It's her last year and I want the best for her. I know how hard she works. She works hard and gets into the right spots, and she's been taking great shots. She deserves it."
Against UTRGV on August 25, she scored her first goal of the season and the first game-winning goal of her career with a 51st minute strike that bounced off the crossbar and straight down into the net. Three days later, she scored her second goal of the season at UTSA.
Goins scored her third goal of the season when she blasted a shot from 25 yards on the left side of the field into the lower right corner of the goal against Purdue on Sunday at Buser Family Park.
As for Goins' most memorable goal?
That came when she tied the score against No. 9 West Virginia on October 7 with a rocket shot from 20 yards into the upper right corner in the 18th minute. It marked just the third game-tying goal in K-State history and the first in the six-year history of Buser Family Park. The Wildcats tied the Mountaineers 1-1.
"That was probably my best goal," Goins says. "We got the tie, we wanted to win, but tying that good of a team was a win for us."
Although K-State has been up and down so far this season, there was a time when all Goins knew was winning. In 2017, she helped Union High School to the Class 6A state championship. Later, she became regarded as the fifth-rated player in the South Region by TopDrawerSoccer.com while starring on her club soccer team, TSC Hurricane ECNL.
Her success and athleticism aren't necessarily a shock when considering her father, Aaron, played football and baseball at Oklahoma from 1989 to 1990, and her older sister, Parker, is currently playing professional soccer in Louisville.
"Shout out to my dad, honestly," Goins says. "Anywhere we go, they're like, 'You're Aaron Goins.' It feels good. He's kind of a celebrity in Oklahoma."
Although Goins carved a name of her own while at Union High School, she found herself lost in the mix during her freshman season at Arkansas, where she attended to join Parker on the Razorbacks team. Goins finished with just one assist and two shots in 11 matches. That led her to enter the transfer portal, which led to a conversation with Dibbini.
"I knew I was a good player but I was down on myself," Goins says. "Coach Dibbini called me as soon as I entered the portal and said, 'We want you. We believe in you.' That really lifted me up. Once I got here, I was like, 'I can do this. I'm still that same player that I was before.'
"Manhattan isn't too far from home and I loved the coaches and players. I thought it'd be a great fit."
It's paid off handsomely.
Although K-State soccer demands Goins' attention, she realizes there's more than athletics. She's passionate about her criminology and sociology majors, and seeks to enroll in the police academy next September.
"I want to become a police officer," she says. "I'm really excited to start that."
But first, she knows she has much to finish. That includes the Big 12 season. The goal is to help the Wildcats qualify for the Big 12 Tournament for the first time in history, which isn't a particularly easy task given the strength of talent across the league.
"We want to showcase what we can do," she says. "I'm really excited. I hope we come out and bring it."
Goins hopes to help bring the scoring.
"Scoring is very contagious," says Goins, who scored four goals in 11 matches dating to last season. "It feels good to do it for the team. I just want to keep providing for my team."
The art of scoring a goal might be difficult to describe for Goins but seeing the soccer ball sail into the net emits a familiar feeling that never gets old.
"It's the adrenaline rush," she says. "I always want more."
The topic is the art of scoring a goal, and well, Kansas State senior forward Kyler Goins struggles to describe it all. For her, scoring goals seems to be a tad easier than discussing them.
"The moment before the goal, you have composure, but once you score, it's like, 'Man, I want another one,'" she says. "It's hard to explain. Your adrenaline is pumping so hard that you don't even realize you scored. But I want another and another."
Goins is tied for second all-time in K-State history with eight goals. She also is tied for fourth with 17 career points. Last season, she had the best year of her career — four goals, eight points, 35 shots and 13 shots on goal during her second season with the Wildcats.
At 5-foot-5, the native of Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, is a magician with the soccer ball. And that's what K-State needs as it prepares for its final two home non-conference matches against Yale (Friday) and Colorado State (September 15) before traveling to South Dakota State (September 18). K-State then opens the Big 12 Conference season at Iowa State on September 22 in Ames, Iowa.
"Most of her work from winning balls and defending high is allowing her to open up her game a little bit more," K-State head coach Mike Dibbini says. "She's understanding her role as a leader."
Senior Marisa Weichel calls one of her closest friends "a ball of energy."
"I love Kyler," Weichel says. "I'm so proud of her. It's her last year and I want the best for her. I know how hard she works. She works hard and gets into the right spots, and she's been taking great shots. She deserves it."
Against UTRGV on August 25, she scored her first goal of the season and the first game-winning goal of her career with a 51st minute strike that bounced off the crossbar and straight down into the net. Three days later, she scored her second goal of the season at UTSA.
Goins scored her third goal of the season when she blasted a shot from 25 yards on the left side of the field into the lower right corner of the goal against Purdue on Sunday at Buser Family Park.
As for Goins' most memorable goal?
That came when she tied the score against No. 9 West Virginia on October 7 with a rocket shot from 20 yards into the upper right corner in the 18th minute. It marked just the third game-tying goal in K-State history and the first in the six-year history of Buser Family Park. The Wildcats tied the Mountaineers 1-1.
"That was probably my best goal," Goins says. "We got the tie, we wanted to win, but tying that good of a team was a win for us."
Although K-State has been up and down so far this season, there was a time when all Goins knew was winning. In 2017, she helped Union High School to the Class 6A state championship. Later, she became regarded as the fifth-rated player in the South Region by TopDrawerSoccer.com while starring on her club soccer team, TSC Hurricane ECNL.
Her success and athleticism aren't necessarily a shock when considering her father, Aaron, played football and baseball at Oklahoma from 1989 to 1990, and her older sister, Parker, is currently playing professional soccer in Louisville.
"Shout out to my dad, honestly," Goins says. "Anywhere we go, they're like, 'You're Aaron Goins.' It feels good. He's kind of a celebrity in Oklahoma."
Although Goins carved a name of her own while at Union High School, she found herself lost in the mix during her freshman season at Arkansas, where she attended to join Parker on the Razorbacks team. Goins finished with just one assist and two shots in 11 matches. That led her to enter the transfer portal, which led to a conversation with Dibbini.
"I knew I was a good player but I was down on myself," Goins says. "Coach Dibbini called me as soon as I entered the portal and said, 'We want you. We believe in you.' That really lifted me up. Once I got here, I was like, 'I can do this. I'm still that same player that I was before.'
"Manhattan isn't too far from home and I loved the coaches and players. I thought it'd be a great fit."
It's paid off handsomely.
Although K-State soccer demands Goins' attention, she realizes there's more than athletics. She's passionate about her criminology and sociology majors, and seeks to enroll in the police academy next September.
"I want to become a police officer," she says. "I'm really excited to start that."
But first, she knows she has much to finish. That includes the Big 12 season. The goal is to help the Wildcats qualify for the Big 12 Tournament for the first time in history, which isn't a particularly easy task given the strength of talent across the league.
"We want to showcase what we can do," she says. "I'm really excited. I hope we come out and bring it."
Goins hopes to help bring the scoring.
"Scoring is very contagious," says Goins, who scored four goals in 11 matches dating to last season. "It feels good to do it for the team. I just want to keep providing for my team."
The art of scoring a goal might be difficult to describe for Goins but seeing the soccer ball sail into the net emits a familiar feeling that never gets old.
"It's the adrenaline rush," she says. "I always want more."
Players Mentioned
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