Position move aids Phenix, MA soccer
Montgomery Academy’s Kaitlin Phenix works against St. James’ Sydney Brown in a recent soccer match. (Eddie Olszewski)
By TIM GAYLE
Montgomery Academy’s Kaitlin Phenix went through an abbreviated season last year and scored 10 goals, giving her a target when the soccer season resumed in 2021.
“Last year, I ended on a high note and I just continued working, despite our season getting cut short,” she said. “It kind of fueled me for this year and fueled the rest of my teammates to just work together and get to that point where we can perform well.
“I think determination has a lot to do with it. Just the hunger to score. It’s being goal-hungry every game. Scoring 10 last year made me push to score more this year and put the ball in the back of the net. It just fired me up, to put it in the back of the net as many times as I can.”
The junior has cooled off in recent games but still has 24 goals for the undefeated Eagles. Phenix and the Eagles (12-0-1) close out 4A-5A Area 4 play with week with a huge game at home against St. James to determine the area championship before playing in the first round of the state playoffs the following week.
“I knew since the first game we were on the path to getting where we are currently,” Phenix said. “The determination to come in and pick up where we left off last year -- being 8-0 -- we just had big goals and big aspirations. We work well together despite having a young team. We’re on the right track. I don’t think there’s any other year I’d rather be on this team.”
Phenix broke into the lineup as a freshman for Carter Tuck’s team, playing as a right back defender.
“A lot of the time, the older kids have established their position and the seventh and eighth graders come in and you have to piece together a puzzle of players and that was where we needed her,” explained senior Leighton Robertson. “She was great at it. She was really good. I don’t remember when she first played forward, but she definitely has the skills and has played really well.”
Phenix remembers. Joe White was hired as the new coach of the girls’ soccer program the following year and Phenix figured it was a good time to change positions.
“I took the opportunity my sophomore year to change my position,” she said. “When I started on the team with Coach Carter, I was originally a forward but she saw that if I wanted to play more, I needed to change my position and I was open to it. Somebody got hurt and I wanted to play so I stepped in and took that position.”
Changing to forward seems to have made a big impact on the Eagles’ fortunes. Phenix spent the past summer working on her craft in the Birmingham summer league and her development did not go unnoticed by her teammates.
“I think she’s a natural,” Robertson said. “And she played travel this year in Birmingham. You get to see a lot of new players and you’re getting some competition, which pushes you to get better. Hayes (Jenkins) and her play up top together and they work well together because Hayes has some great assists and can set up Kaitlin really well.”
The pieces of the puzzle have fit nicely for the Eagles as they prepare to defend their 2019 state championship in the playoffs. One of the biggest pieces, at least from a scoring perspective, has developed into the team’s leading scorer.
“She’s very, very athletic,” White said. “She’s got all the tools to get there. She’s great on the ball, she’s great off the ball. Our girls know she’s the go-to in terms of who’s going to score our goals. We have a lot of talented girls -- girls as talented as Kaitlin -- but every team needs a goal scorer. She’s our girl for that.”