Matt Frye/Liberty TribuneLiberty High freshman Delaney Kiely hasn’t played a game of high school soccer, but she’s already caught the attention of many colleges who want to recruit her.
Join our Mailing List!
Please click the link below to sign up for your community paper mailing list. Stay up to date with all the events going on in your community as well as the latest news.Sign Up Today!
Club sports: Kiely already getting attention
Liberty High freshman among the best soccer players in the Midwest
By Kevin Goodwin
Delaney Kiely will be attending Liberty Junior High this fall. She won’t play her first varsity soccer game until next spring.
And yet, Kiely is already dealing with the college recruiting process.
The freshman center midfielder is already receiving correspondence from some of the top NCAA Division I schools in the nation. She was ranked among the top 100 girls soccer players in the nation for the Class of 2012 last year by the Web site topdrawersoccer.com.
Kiely is well-known in the soccer community because she’s traveled across the country and to foreign countries playing club soccer. She is a member of the Kansas City Select Scream U-16 team, and has been playing club soccer seriously for the past four years.
Kiely, 14, is beginning to realize where her talent may take her. But she also knows she doesn’t want to pick a college just yet. She would like to get her Liberty Blue Jays soccer jersey first.
“I know that I’m too immature to start thinking about things like that,” Kiely said. “Some people want to talk about it, but I’m so young and I really don’t have any preferences in my mind. I still have a few years to figure those things out. That will take care of itself. It’s kind of crazy how early it starts now.”
Kiely plays for the Scream from July through the fall. The Scream practices four days a week and then plays in tournaments all over the Midwest on weekends.
“There aren’t many tournaments in the Kansas City area, and if they are, they are on the Kansas side,” Kiely said. “We play in the Midwest Regional League, and we play many of the top teams in the Midwest.”
Kiely is also a member of the U.S. Youth Soccer Olympic Development Program girls 1992/93 Region II team, along with Liberty High sophomores Kaysie Clark and Shea Groom.
The trio played in the Costa Rica International Tournament in April 2008 against national teams from Chile, Honduras, Costa Rica and Trinidad and Tobago.
“That was one of the most fun experiences I’ve ever had,” Kiely said. “We played national teams and we weren’t playing players our age. Sometimes they were much older. There was some really good talent there.”
Kiely missed seven days of school and was gone from Liberty for 10 days on the trip to Costa Rica. Time management is crucial to keep her school work in order while she plays for the Scream and the ODP team.
“It’s hard,” Kiely said. “I try to miss the least amount of school I can, but with club sometimes, it’s difficult not to miss some time.”
While some elite youth soccer players opt not to play high school soccer to play in the Red Bull League, which has U-15 and U-16 club teams from across the nation, Kiely is eager to play for Liberty High.
“I’m really looking forward to it,” Kiely said. “I’m anxious to play with some players that I’ve played against at the regional level.
“I know there are clubs that really don’t like high school soccer and I don’t know why. But my club is OK with it.”
And soccer isn’t Kiely’s only passion. She is resisting the age of specialization.
Kiely also plays club basketball for the Kansas City Metrostars and wants to play both sports in high school.
“I’m going to play both for as long as I can,” Kiely said. “I really like both of them equally well and hopefully I can play both in high school.”
Sports writer Kevin Goodwin can be reached at 389-6652 or kgoodwin@npgco.com.
printable version
e-mail this story
And yet, Kiely is already dealing with the college recruiting process.
The freshman center midfielder is already receiving correspondence from some of the top NCAA Division I schools in the nation. She was ranked among the top 100 girls soccer players in the nation for the Class of 2012 last year by the Web site topdrawersoccer.com.
Kiely is well-known in the soccer community because she’s traveled across the country and to foreign countries playing club soccer. She is a member of the Kansas City Select Scream U-16 team, and has been playing club soccer seriously for the past four years.
Kiely, 14, is beginning to realize where her talent may take her. But she also knows she doesn’t want to pick a college just yet. She would like to get her Liberty Blue Jays soccer jersey first.
“I know that I’m too immature to start thinking about things like that,” Kiely said. “Some people want to talk about it, but I’m so young and I really don’t have any preferences in my mind. I still have a few years to figure those things out. That will take care of itself. It’s kind of crazy how early it starts now.”
Kiely plays for the Scream from July through the fall. The Scream practices four days a week and then plays in tournaments all over the Midwest on weekends.
“There aren’t many tournaments in the Kansas City area, and if they are, they are on the Kansas side,” Kiely said. “We play in the Midwest Regional League, and we play many of the top teams in the Midwest.”
Kiely is also a member of the U.S. Youth Soccer Olympic Development Program girls 1992/93 Region II team, along with Liberty High sophomores Kaysie Clark and Shea Groom.
The trio played in the Costa Rica International Tournament in April 2008 against national teams from Chile, Honduras, Costa Rica and Trinidad and Tobago.
“That was one of the most fun experiences I’ve ever had,” Kiely said. “We played national teams and we weren’t playing players our age. Sometimes they were much older. There was some really good talent there.”
Kiely missed seven days of school and was gone from Liberty for 10 days on the trip to Costa Rica. Time management is crucial to keep her school work in order while she plays for the Scream and the ODP team.
“It’s hard,” Kiely said. “I try to miss the least amount of school I can, but with club sometimes, it’s difficult not to miss some time.”
While some elite youth soccer players opt not to play high school soccer to play in the Red Bull League, which has U-15 and U-16 club teams from across the nation, Kiely is eager to play for Liberty High.
“I’m really looking forward to it,” Kiely said. “I’m anxious to play with some players that I’ve played against at the regional level.
“I know there are clubs that really don’t like high school soccer and I don’t know why. But my club is OK with it.”
And soccer isn’t Kiely’s only passion. She is resisting the age of specialization.
Kiely also plays club basketball for the Kansas City Metrostars and wants to play both sports in high school.
“I’m going to play both for as long as I can,” Kiely said. “I really like both of them equally well and hopefully I can play both in high school.”
Sports writer Kevin Goodwin can be reached at 389-6652 or kgoodwin@npgco.com.