Ambitious, hard-working, sophomore Kelley Francis approaches the height of her second season on the AHS varsity girls soccer team after her record-breaking freshman year.

Last year, Francis not only made varsity as a freshman, but she also scored 32 goals–breaking the single-season record for goals scored by an AHS player. Despite this massive feat and all of the high expectations that follow her success, Francis keeps her focus on her love and passion for the sport.

Francis’s freshman season greatly impacted the entire athletic community including the AHS Athletic Director Martha Richards.

“[Francis’s success] goes to show you that it’s not about age, it’s not about that you’re entitled to score the goals because you’re a senior. It’s about who’s going to be on the field and be effective,” Richards commented.

In addition to this significant impact on the youth, Francis’s success also comes with a lot of added pressure for her to deal with.

“I have to remember that I love playing soccer no matter how many goals I score,” Francis said. “Soccer is the one thing in my life that truly makes me the happiest person alive.”

Because of this love for soccer, Francis trains all year round to improve. She attended college ID camps in the summer to experience the life of a college-level athlete and played club soccer for FC Glenwood this fall. In the winter, she played basketball to stay in shape, and also went to six elite tournaments and showcases for a variety of soccer teams. Francis even plays for an Olympic Development team.

Francis does all of this training for herself–her ultimate goal of playing soccer in college. Due to her high aspirations, Francis’s drive and motivation all come from herself.

“I have high expectations for myself, so the pressure is coming more from my own internal ambitions,” Francis said.

For the remainder of the season, Francis plans to give it her all with the hope of winning the league again, scoring and assisting as many goals as possible, and winning the championship.

“I want to beat the record, but maybe it won‘t happen this year. I just play one game at a time,” Francis added.