Coupeville Sports

“No homework in history, again… Sweet!!” (Shelli Trumbull photo)

   The Bailey girls, from left to right, McKenzie, Mollie and McKayla. (Donna Bailey photo)

McKaya Bailey is the accidental goalie.

The Coupeville High School sophomore, a pitching phenom on the softball field and also a pretty darn good basketball and volleyball player, wandered into high school soccer with no plans to make it her own. She originally attended off-season scrimmages with the team as a way to stay in shape for volleyball, only to change her mind and trade in her volleyball knee pads for goalie gloves when the school year actually rolled around.

“This was truly my rookie season, because I had never played soccer before,” Bailey said. “I’m pretty sure the first time I actually touched a ball was this past summer. At first it was just for fun to keep in shape, but then I started thinking it might be something I would have fun doing.”

Her sudden immersion into life on the pitch took a dramatic turn when she decided to accept Wolf coach Dan d’Ameida’s challenge and move into the net. While she did discuss the move with her parents, there was an ulterior motive for Bailey being so willing to take on the new position.

“What it really came down to was that it’s the only place on the field where I can use my hands!,” Bailey said. “With my softball, basketball, and volleyball backgrounds there isn’t really any hand-eye-foot coordination.

“I’m sure that anyone watching could tell when we first started to do footwork drills,” she added. “Without the ball I was perfectly fine, then they threw one in there and it was a bit of a disaster.”

She stuck it out though and worked extensively with assistant coach Gary Manker, whose daughter, Ashley, was a stellar net-minder for Coupeville.

“Working with Manker was probably the greatest part of going to soccer practice everyday,” Bailey said. “He helped me so much this season and I’m absolutely sure that without him I would not have been as successful as I was.

“From day one he pushed me to work my hardest and be my best, no excuses,” she added. “Something I heard a lot was, “Remember, body language. It’s okay to be tired, but you don’t let the other team know that.” That was probably the first thing he told me about being a keeper.”

While her raw athletic ability — Bailey is an electrifying fast-pitch softball hurler — carried her part of the way, working with Manker helped her to refine her skills. While Coupeville struggled to mount a consistent offensive attack this season, Bailey’s play behind a strong defensive line led by Anna Bailey, Kelsey Miranda and Marisa Etzell, kept the Wolves in most of their games.

“Technique, technique, technique. I had the basics down, but then it was time for me to fine tune everything,” Bailey said. “By the end I finally started to run out for one-on-one breakaways, talking to my back-line, and I was less concerned with hitting the ground and hurting myself and more concerned with not letting the ball past me. I think that was my biggest improvement. Risking my body to stop the ball and not being afraid to hit the ground.

And while the move required a lot of time and effort, and a few bruises and flattened noses, she would still step forward and accept the job.

“I definitely would still say yes to becoming goalie,” Bailey said. “Sure, I was constantly covered in bruises and most mornings could barely get out of bed, but it was so much fun, which is exactly why I wanted to play soccer in the first place.

“Not that volleyball was ever bad, but it just stopped being fun for me,” she added. “Instead of wanting to go to practice, it almost felt like a chore. Being goalie, practice everyday was different and new. Even though the drills were all the same, you never make the same save twice and that’s what drives me to keep getting in the net. I want to make that amazing save that brings the crowd to their feet.”

She picks the team’s victory over Sultan as the high-point of her year (“I had some of my best saves during that game. One, unfortunately, was actually stopped with my nose.”) and views the next two years as her time to make true believers out of local soccer fans (“My biggest goal is to go from a good keeper to a great keeper.”)

Still, deep down, she has to admit softball will always have the top spot in her sports-happy heart.

“I think the reason I like softball so much is because every aspect of it is fun. It doesn’t matter if it’s just playing catch or if we’re in the batting cages,” Bailey said. “But the best part of it all is pitching. I’ve been doing it for so long that it’s almost second nature.

“Sometimes I’ll be pitching and I’m not even thinking about what I’m doing; I just do it, when I turn off my mind and just go,” she added. “That’s why if I’m having a bad day, I ask my dad if we can go to the field and pitch. Not only is there some sort of sick satisfaction that comes from throwing a ball as hard as you can, but it gives me a chance to shut off my mind and forget what’s bothering me.”

The oldest of three sisters (“My sister McKenzie and I are partners in crime. She’s like a best friend that never leaves my house and always eats my food. My little sister Mollie and I have the same personality, so we usually get along pretty well.”), Bailey enjoys history class (“Not because I actually like history, but there is rarely homework assigned in that class.”) and is a movie addict.

“Movies are my weakness. I love a good comedy, but one of my best friends, Micky LeVine, is always having me watch scary ones. Honestly though, no movie night is complete without “Mean Girls.” It’s my absolute favorite and ‘so fetch’,” Bailey said. “If I’m not spending my weekends at softball, I’m usually with my friends or hanging out with the fam bam. I am really close with my family.

“My parents are always there for me and I’m surprised that they actually have the patience to deal with my craziness and constant movie quoting,” she added. “I think that sports are really a big factor in us all being so close. Whether its my select softball tournament, or if it’s a Seahawks game on TV, we’re all there. And everyone knows it too; we’re not exactly the quietest bunch. I guess that’s what happens when your mom’s an Engle and your dad’s a Bailey!”