Coupeville Sports

Ayla Muller

Soccer stars (l to r) Micky LeVine, Muller, Julia Myers, Becca Pabona and Suzanne Kaltenbach.

The Whidbey Islanders GU18 select soccer squad, which brings together players from all three Island high schools, returns to action in December. This is one in a series of articles on the girls who proudly wear the jersey.

Ayla Muller is keeping a family tradition alive.

The Oak Harbor High School sophomore, who has battled through a knee injury which has limited her time on the field, follows in the footsteps of her mother when she steps on the soccer pitch.

“My mom use to play soccer and when I was little she was like the best player out there,” Muller said. “She’s always supporting me; she comes to every game and cheers for me.”

Muller picked up the game at an early age, first putting foot to ball when she was just four. After playing for a club team (KYX) in Florida, she joined the Islanders after her family moved to Whidbey.

Since joining Sean LeVine’s roster, Muller has been an indispensable jack of all trades, playing wherever she is needed at the moment.

“I play every position except defense!” she said.

The friendly, out-going booter, who picks market management as her favorite class at OHHS, works hard at fine-tuning her game, when her knee allows it.

“I’d like to work on calming down when I get the ball and skill work,” she said.

Muller’s love of soccer perfectly dovetails with her appreciation for family.

When not playing, she can often be found at the drive-in with one of her two families, the one that she lives with or the second one she has found on the playing field.

“I like the fact it’s a team sport,” Muller said. “I love having a family that will always be there for me.”