Sophomore leads Lightning in CIF

Rick Devereux

It may seem strange that a sophomore is the leader on a girls high

school soccer team that advanced to the semifinals of the CIF

Southern Section Division VI playoffs.

After all, coaches usually look for players that have been in the

program for a while, know the system, have experienced the growing

pains associated with “paying your dues.”

But Kara Percival is not like other soccer players and the Sage

Hill School girls team is not like other programs.

Percival, a center midfielder, led the team with 12 assists during

the regular season and scored a goal in the playoffs, all while being

the main set-up person on corner and free kicks. She has been named

the Daily Pilot Athlete of the Week for her efforts.

“She takes all of our corner kicks,” Coach Amy Ray said. “She

sends a beautiful ball.”

Percival is a leader despite only being in her second year with

the Lightning.

“We have a pretty young team,” Ray said. “She is definitely a

leader and someone we can rely on. She comes with a lot of knowledge

and experience.”

The 16-year-old has been playing soccer since she was 4 and took

up the sport to emulate her sister.

“My sister Kelly played before I did, but I really wanted to play

with her,” Percival said. “So my parents signed me up.”

Her thoughts on the game and her skills have grown considerably

from her toddler beginnings to leading the Lightning deeper into the

playoffs than they have ever gone before.

“When I was little, I thought it was fun to be the one with the

big kick, the big boot,” she said. “I don’t have the biggest boot

anymore.”

And her idea of fun on the soccer pitch is setting up goals

instead of scoring them.

“When you score I feel like you’re sort of, you played with the

team but you’re also there for yourself,” Percival said. “It’s kind

of selfish to score a goal, especially when there is probably someone

else with a wide open shot.”

Percival helped Sage Hill finish with a 21-2-1 record by dishing

off to her teammates, but she thinks her best attribute has nothing

to do with her footwork.

“I’m always talking to my team,” Percival said. “Sometimes other

people don’t realize how much it helps to talk. Other people might

only talk when they want the ball. I try to help the team by telling

them where the opponent is and what’s going on.”

But her footwork and other skills are impressive.

“She is excellent on the first touch,” Ray said. “She has is very

good at setting up other people so they are in a good position to

score.”

While Ray said Percival contributes a lot to Sage Hill’s success,

the sophomore passes the praise to her teammates.

“Everybody is assisting,” Percival said. “We are really working

together as a team.”

Whether Percival is the reason for the success or not, she is just

happy to be part of the winning ways.

“I think that the whole team is really proud to be in CIF and we

all working together,” she said. “Everybody is really nice and we

have a good group of girls.”