Daily Pilot Athlete of the Week: KiIssa Tyler - Lone star goalie

Tony Altobelli

You can take the youngster out of Texas, but you can’t take the

Texas out of the youngster. Just ask Newport Harbor High goalie and

former Austin native KiIssa Tyler.

“I was telling my teammates before a game, ‘I’ll be talking to y’all

out here,’ and they looked at me pretty funny,” Tyler admitted. “They

said back to me, ‘Y’all?’ It still comes out once in a while.”

Despite the lapses of Texas slang, Tyler has made the transition to

not only Southern California, but to the Sailors’ girls soccer program

rather nicely.

“She has done an excellent job of fitting into this program,” Newport

Coach Jason Sorrell said. “The defense is playing with confidence because

of KiIssa and likewise, she’s playing with confidence because of our

defense.”

It’s Tyler and the defense which has been a major factor to the

Sailors’ success.

Newport has posted a 4-1-2 Sea View League record this year and the

Sailors have kept the opponents off the scoreboard four times.

“Everyone’s working very well together out there,” the Daily Pilot

Athlete of the Week said. “We’re working hard every day and we all know

where everyone is on the field.”

Tyler played at Round Rock High in Austin before coming out to

California. “My grandparents live out here and we moved out here for

them,” Tyler said. “So far, I love California. I miss my friends and

soccer teammates in Texas, but I’m making new friends out here.”

Tyler began playing soccer when she was seven and has always been a

goalie. “My best friend was playing soccer so I started playing too,”

Tyler said. “The team said they needed a goalie and I offered to play

there, thinking it would be easy. No running around or anything. It

didn’t take me too long to realize it wasn’t that easy.”

At Newport, Tyler is realizing that success is contagious. “If I make

a big save, the team feeds off of that,” she said. “Likewise, if we

score, it gets me more energized and focused.”

That energy has bolted the Sailors right into the CIF playoffs for the

first time since 1994 and with a majority of players returning next year,

the best may be yet to come.

“If we can continue to work hard and learn as a team, we’re going to

be tough to beat,” Tyler said.

Beyond high school, Tyler has her sights on a couple of options. “I’d

really love to go to either UC Irvine, or the University of North

Carolina,” Tyler said. “I don’t think I want to go to school in Texas.

Their soccer programs aren’t as good as other schools.”

Working with Sorrell has allowed Tyler the opportunity to be a vocal

leader on the field. “He let’s me talk out there and communicate with the

defense,” she said.

Just don’t say “y’all” anymore.