Pirate scores on national stage

BRADEN RIVER — Sixteen-year-old Kayla Gray has royal ambitions.

From the moment she watched her first World Cup soccer game, the Braden River High sophomore forward has had aspirations of receiving treatment as one of the world’s elite.

“I saw my first World Cup two years ago, and I said, ‘I want to be one of those players,’” Gray said. “I wanted to see what it would be like to be treated like royalty.”

Gray’s aspirations turned into reality earlier this month when she was invited to play for the Jamaican U17 women’s team in the World Cup Qualifier May 2 to May 6, in Guatemala City.

Gray, whose parents were both born in Jamaica, tried out for the team April 12 to April 16, and two weeks later she learned she had made the team. The news was both somewhat shocking yet slightly expected for Gray, who felt she had a chance of making the team.

“I was shocked and happy,” Gray said. “I had a strong feeling that I was going to make it because I gave it my all.”

Gray traveled April 23 to April 26 to Jamaica for training camp before heading to Guatemala City for the World Cup qualifier. Gray played three games with the Jamaican U17 women’s team, scoring her team’s first two goals in a 3-0 victory over Guatemala to open the final round.

“I think I did pretty good,” Gray said. “I got the first two goals for the national team. I felt like the hard work paid off. I spent the whole season working on keeping my composure and finishing, and that’s how I got my goals.
“It was awesome,” Gray said of the experience. “I formed a lot of good friends, and it was (fun) getting treated like royalty for two weeks.”

Gray started playing recreational soccer when she was 4 years old and gradually developed a passion for the game over time.

Since then, Gray has focused her attention on becoming the best player she can be with the goal of eventually playing professionally. Gray led the Lady Pirates in scoring as a sophomore this season.

“In U13 when it started getting more competitive, that’s when I knew this is what I wanted to do for the rest of my life,” said Gray, who also plays for the Clearwater Chargers at Lakewood Ranch U16 girls team.

With her first national experience behind her, Gray plans to tryout out for the Jamaican U20 women’s team over the summer. And if all goes according to plan, she’ll play with them for the next three years, in addition to continuing to play for the Lady Pirates and the Chargers, with the hopes of earning a college scholarship and eventually a spot in the Women’s Premier League.

“Jamaica turned out to be a great experience,” Gray said. “I want to get better, improve my foot skills and eventually end up at the next level playing for a great college team.”

Contact Jen Blanco at [email protected].