Sims makes triumphed return to soccer field, scores twice
Kayla Sims
After an All-American volleyball career at The Master’s University, Kayla Sims of Anchorage will spend her fifth year of college eligibility playing soccer.
The move isn’t random – Sims scored 22 goals as a high school senior in 2014.
You’d figure she would need a little time to adjust, but that hasn’t been the case.
Sims leads the NAIA team in scoring after netting two goals in a 2-1 win over Kansas Wesleyan in Santa Clarita, California.
“I didn’t plan to play soccer for a fifth year, but ended up playing a game with the team last spring and fell back in love with the sport,” Sims told me.
Sims, of South High fame, now has two goals and two assists for a team-best six points through the first five games.
She earned her first assist in the second game and another assist in the fourth game before going off for a pair of goals – just 25 seconds apart.
Her first goal came at the 17:32 mark on an assist from Sydney Robinson. Just seconds later she converted another goal off an assist from Seren Tamayo.
“I was in good spots and my teammates found me,” she said. “It was really cool to get that connection.”
On the volleyball court, Sims twice earned All-American recognition as a setter and finished her Master’s career ranked No. 2 all-time in assists (2,773) and No. 5 in aces (165) while just missing the top 10 in digs (953).