What if the record-breaking scorer didn’t just change the history of high school soccer, but he also changed history around the world? Senior Ayden Kazda didn’t just score over 100 goals, becoming the all-time leading scorer. He’s gearing up to take his adventures farther than just the field; his plans on Missionary Work in Albania is what his eyes are set on next.
Kazda is an experienced player as he has been playing soccer for 12 years. He credits his Father, as well as Coach Ryan Pikka and Coach Erik Linde for getting him in the sport and consistently pushing him to be the best he possibly he can be, not just as a person, but as a player and a student. His favorite player is Lionel Messi. “He sees plays that no one else sees, and he works hard on and off the field.”
That isn’t the only reason he loves the sport though. “I think the more I play, the more passion I feel for the game…. Soccer is often called the ‘beautiful game,’ and the more I watch and the more I play, I see how beautiful it is.”
Kazda gives a shout out to Coach Linde and Coach Pikka for always pushing him to be his best.
“They have pushed me when I needed to be pushed, and they have encouraged me when I needed to be encouraged.” Kazda also mentioned player Ian Dudley in his shoutouts for being there when they needed him most. “He got injured early on in the season, but he still comes to games and practices. He is always encouraging our team and cheering us on.” This helped the team reach the regional soccer title and bring it home to Amherst, making their season more successful than they originally believed.
Kazda credits Pikka for the success of soccer at Amherst because of the time he has invested in the sport for middle school and elementary kids. Pikka runs a camp for sixth through eighth graders in spring, and older players are encouraged to help out the Jensen Center soccer program. Kazda believes that the reason so many kids come to the games is because the “success of the high school team brings in more kids.”
People originally believed that Ayden wouldn’t be able to get this far because of how his time management and grades were at the beginning of his soccer career. He expressed this by mentioning how his life has changed from freshman to senior year.
“When I was a freshman, I was not very good at my time management, so when I had school, soccer, and other extracurricular activities, I struggled to get my homework done. But since then I have learned to manage my time and now it is fairly easy for me to do school, soccer, and extracurricular activities.” This truly shows how time management can change your life. Kazda also mentions part of his time management is filled up with physical and mental recovery
Part of the physical side of the recovery means taking time to recuperate. “I like to use my foam roller to roll out longer than normal games, and I like to use my massage gun. I also stretch a lot more during the day before the game.”
He does find his mental recovery much more important by expressing his beliefs with God. Some of the ways he expresses his beliefs are through listening to Christian Worship songs before every game.
“I like my focus to be on God and giving Him glory instead of myself,” Kazda said. “I like to wear my shirt that says, ‘Soccer for Jesus,’ during warm-ups and after the game because I want to give glory to God and thank him for giving me the ability to play.”
Kazda has had an amazing career and has an incredible story of how he developed into the player he is today, but he has bigger plans once he graduates. He plans on starting a soccer missionary to help the youth in Albania flourish not only into great soccer players, but also strong believers in their religious faith.
