Kaitlyn Kaufman wanted a change. After spending his freshman year at Pitt, the former Norwin football standout found the novelty of playing closer to home had worn off.
She wanted new experiences. She had a difficult time in her ACC, widely regarded as the best women’s soccer conference in the country, but she knew she wanted to fight for the championship.
And it certainly wouldn’t hurt if her new school was somewhere warmer.
Her family vacationed frequently in Florida and she knew about the Florida Gulf Coast in Fort Myers. So after going into her transfer portal, she looked into the possibility of playing football with the Eagles.
After visiting the campus and meeting with the coaching staff, Kauffman decided FGCU was the right fit. Coach Jim Blankenship felt Kaufman had a chance to make an impact on his team with 19 new players.
The results have been positive for all involved. The Eagles won the title with an 8-1-1 win in the Atlantic Sun Conference, defeating No. 1 seed Liberty in a 4-3 shootout and qualifying for the NCAA Tournament.
Forward Kaufman started all 20 games, had one goal and three assists, and earned third-team All-Conference honors.
“I had high expectations of myself,” Kaufman said. “Honestly, I just wanted to be a starter and play a lot of time and make an impact. That’s exactly what I did this season. So I’m really happy with my season.”
Of course, there was also an adjustment period. Kaufman is getting used to the new school, new coaching staff and new players. Meanwhile, the players were adjusting to each other.
Blankenship said the group had a slow start, but could see them improve as the season progressed. He said he was satisfied with the method.
“It fits,” he said. “She’s athletic and technical. I think the big thing for us is that she’s very easy to coach and willing to learn. There is no place. Her overall game is very good, especially for younger players. ”
Kaufman’s first college point came in his third game of the season, in a 4–1 win over Southern. She assisted Louise on her lilback goal in the 18th minute.
Her first goal came on October 6 against conference foes Eastern Kentucky. She scored in just her 2 minutes and 28 seconds in a 5-1 Eagles win.
Forward Kaufmann’s one goal and three assists seem like modest numbers, especially for him who has played every game. Blankenship said no coach would say no to a player who scored more goals, but Kaufmann said he was able to contribute more to the game than the stats sheet shows.
“She can influence things in many other ways,” he said. She’s not overly obsessed with the number of goals she’s scored. There are many other ways to make a difference in your game. …But we take every goal she can give us.
Kaufman added: But this team had multiple girls with multiple goals. As long as we were winning and scoring goals overall, it didn’t matter to me who scored. ”
Kaufman may have left the ACC, but he could not escape its presence. The Eagles tied Florida State in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, where he was ranked fifth in the United Soccer Coaches’ polls. The Seminoles, who he beat the Eagles 5-0 in an out-of-conference game in September, went on to win 3-0 in the tournament.
Kaufman started in that game and played 40 minutes. She wasn’t the result she wanted, but it was the experience she wanted.
“Being there, even going to Florida was surreal,” she said. “And it was an honor to play against one of the best teams in the country, Florida State University. I just enjoyed it.…No matter what happened, I enjoyed every moment.I am just grateful to be able to play in the competition.”
With the offseason underway, Kaufman has his sights set on a better season in 2023. She hasn’t decided yet whether to return to Japan in the summer. She said it was likely to be a “in the moment” decision.
She said she will focus on honing her technical skills and finishing and maintaining fitness wherever she is. But she said there is always room for improvement.
“I’m still not satisfied. I wanted to do more. I want to win again next year. I want to win more NCAA tournaments. I want to score more goals. I want more assists. There’s always the possibility of more.”
Chuck Curti is a staff writer for Tribune-Review. Chuck can be reached by email at ccurti@triblive.com or on his Twitter. .
