Kicking’s a habit for Soder

Spencer Patterson

Thursday, Jan. 17, 2002 | 9:30 a.m.

As Katherine Soder took down their team's leading scorer with a physical tackle on Tuesday, Eldorado fans might have wondered if the soccer match they'd been following had suddenly turned into a football game.

Not exactly, but the Chaparral player drawing their ire certainly knows a thing or two about strapping on a helmet.

Last fall, Soder served as the primary placekicker for the Cowboys' varsity football team, becoming one of only a few girls to play the sport in Southern Nevada history.

Now, the senior is back on more familiar footing, a captain and a fourth-year varsity starter for Chaparral's girls soccer team. And better than most of her peers of either gender, Soder now has an unusual appreciation of both male and female athletics.

"Athletes are the same; it doesn't matter what gender," Soder said. "Both teams are just as serious, and players in both sports do the same types of things to prepare for their games."

Soder's foray into football dates to the end of her junior year. Head football coach Ben Johnson needed a kicker, and with boys soccer also playing in the fall, his attention quickly turned to his school's girls soccer squad.

"We have a big powder puff (girls) football game each year at Chaparral, and she played in it," Johnson recalled. "I saw her athleticism and that she was tough, so I asked her if she'd like to try kicking for us."

Surprised by the offer, Soder spent the summer trying to decide between the football field and the volleyball court, where she had already earned two varsity letters. She attended practices in both sports for one week before deciding she was ready for the new challenge.

From the start, it proved to be a perfect fit.

"I thought it would be difficult, but I just kicked it like a soccer ball and it was a lot easier than I thought," Soder said.

Chaparral soccer coach Dan Schell said he wasn't surprised with Soder's success kicking the pigskin.

"She's always been a long ball service-type player. The basic motion is the same. It's just a matter of being accurate," Schell said.

As for whether he worried about one of his star soccer players getting hurt on the football field, Schell said he had nothing but encouragement to offer.

"We talked about it and I thought it was great for her," he said. "What a great way to keep involved and stay on track for soccer. I enjoy it when my kids have success, whether it's with me or doing something else."

Soder went on to convert of all her point-after attempts and missed just one field goal all season, helping the Cowboys finish 8-2 overall. She also gained the respect of her male teammates and coaches.

"If there were any (doubts), once they saw me kick their apprehensions left," Soder said. "I knew some of the guys already, and they didn't treat me any differently."

Apart from a separate changing room and pigtails hanging out of her helmet, Soder truly became "one of the guys" during her four-month football stint. She even practiced tackling in case one of her kicks got blocked, though she never was involved in contact during a game.

"I learned how to tackle, just in case, but the closest anyone ever came to hitting me was a helmet that brushed past my foot," Soder said. "I never really noticed (my opponents) coming. My blockers were really good in front of me, and Derek Niggemeier -- the snapper -- and Justin Arnold -- the holder -- and I had the timing down from the beginning."

Likewise, Soder and her soccer teammates have been on the same page this soccer season. The Cowboys are 5-1-1 against area foes and 2-0-1 in the Northeast Division after Tuesday's 1-1 tie against co-league leader Eldorado.

While junior Courtney Sobrero (16 goals) has shouldered most of the scoring load, Soder has anchored the team's defense in critical games from her sweeper position. The emergence of freshman defender Jessica Torres also has allowed Soder to move forward into the midfield at times, where she can put her booming foot to use on the offensive end.

And if contact happens to come her way, you won't see the football veteran shying away.

"I've always been a pretty physical player, and sometimes you have to play that way," Soder said. "Even in football, there were some guys out there I think I could've hurt."