For girl’s head soccer coach Kyla Lovelace, soccer has always been more than just a game.

Lovelace graduated from Oklahoma Christian University and had previously coached soccer for Community Christian School in Norman and for club teams before joining McGuinness as a head coach. Her passion for soccer started at an early age and has been an outlet for her whole life.

“I have been playing since I was very little, probably four years old,” Lovelace said. “Ever since then, I played club. I played high school soccer, and I went to play in college. That’s how I just fell in love with soccer.”

Lovelace has been inspired by her coaches over the years, leaving her eager to make a lasting impact on the players this year.

“The impact that my coaches had on me made me realize I love this,” Lovelace said. “I was telling the girls the other day, this is my outlet. I mean, soccer is how I get away from everything.”

Lovelace said she wants the team to have enough bonding so that they are able to work well together on the field.

“I’m not telling them to be best friends off the field, but I’m just saying that we have got to know each other,” Lovelace said. “We have got to learn about each other and know how we click because that’s also going to be something that’s important on the field.”

Lovelace thinks highly of the team, but she also believes that mindset and effort will dictate how the season plays out.

“I think we can do whatever we want to do,” Lovelace said. “We can go out and do and win the games we want to. As far as what’s important, what I’m telling them is that we have to play for each other.”

Beyond the strategy, bonding and team spirit, something deeper is Lovelace’s motivation for the game.

“I think for me my relationship with the Lord is my biggest value,” Lovelace said. “I can’t do any of this without him, and that’s the biggest thing. It’s for him. It’s because of him. That’s how I show up every day.”