I’m Kyson Pettique. I live in Prosper, Texas, where I play football and soccer.

Soccer

I started playing soccer when I was 2 years old. I started out in a recreational league but eventually moved to competitive soccer. I started playing multiple positions including goal keeper but eventually discovered my desire to play defense. I was good at soccer but was never really passionate about it. I mostly played because my parents wanted me to be active in a sport.

Before my 6th grade year, my family moved to Texas. I stopped playing soccer from being burnt out. Half way through the school year, I realized how much I missed playing and started playing recreation soccer again. Not satisfied with the level of play, I joined a competitive team my 7th grade year.

I joined the Steel United soccer club on a newly formed team. We went 0-8 our first year together. I stayed at the defense position but focused more on defensive center back. I worked on my ball handling skills, cuts and speed and in our second year, we went 4-4. By our third year, we went 6-2 and made it to the championship game, losing by 1 goal.

As each year went by, my skills improved by leaps and bounds and now my defense is a major reason why we are successful. Soccer is a team sport and my teammates work just as hard and are just as good but there is no denying that defense helps win games.