Quick Chat: Kayla Bruster

By John Frierson
Staff Writer

Kayla Bruster was named one of four Georgia soccer team captains for this season — along with Katie Higgins, Ashley Andersen and Mollie Belisle — and on Thursday Bruster was one of five Bulldogs on the SEC's preseason watch list. Being a vocal leader is nothing new for her, Bruster said, but she appreciates the vote of confidence from her teammates and coaches.

During a Quick Chat on Thursday, just a few days before the Bulldogs open their pandemic-altered season on Sunday against South Carolina at the Turner Soccer Complex, Bruster talked about being a leader. The senior defender from Atlanta also talked about getting to play again, her future, Chick-fil-A, and much more.

Here's some of what she had to say:

Frierson: First off, congratulations on being named one of your team's captains and being on the SEC's preseason watch list. What does it mean to you to be named a captain?

Bruster: It means a lot, just getting the validation from teammates and my coaches, because I have always felt like I've been a leader on the field but maybe my position put me more in that position to be more of a leader because I have to be very vocal. Over the years I've just felt like I've grown as a person here, and with my leadership, so it's just really nice to have the validation of that and the support from my teammates.

Frierson: Was there a point early in your career, whether it was here at Georgia or before, when you struggled to be the vocal leader you needed or wanted to be?

Bruster: No, I don't think I ever struggled with being vocal. I do feel like I've gotten more comfortable over time with it. I've always been pretty vocal as a player, whether it's saying "Good job, let's keep it going," or trying to pump people up. I think that's always been a trait of mine.

Frierson: With the cross country meet rained out Thursday, soccer's opener on Sunday is going to be the first Georgia sporting event since everything got shut down in March. What is it going to be like to finally get out there and play?

Bruster: Once it hits game day and we're actually going through the routine, it's just going to be crazy and feel really good. I feel like this whole time has been very uncertain that we were going to have a season, and then we got the news that we were still going forward. But we knew this whole time it was all very fluid and it could change, so I think everyone's just really ready and appreciating being able to play, appreciating the sport and our teammates a lot more now, and not taking a season for granted or anything like that.

It's just really nice to be able to step back out there again.

Frierson: Speaking of game-day routines, do you have anything, whether it's superstitious or not, that you do before every game?

Bruster: No, I've honestly never really been that person to have pregame things. I pray every single time and that's it.

Frierson: After everybody went home in March, what did you do to fill your time? Did you pick up any new hobbies or anything?

Bruster: I was actually coming back (to Athens) during that time period because a lot of my focus was on rehab. I'd had shoulder surgery going into winter break, so a lot of that was me just focusing on coming back.

As far as things outside of soccer, I went on walks a lot, more than I ever have, with my family, just to get out of the house. I spent a lot of time with my family — we did puzzles a lot, that was a fun thing, and we did card games and stuff.

Frierson: Did it feel a little bit like being back in high school, with your schoolwork to do during the day and you're back sleeping in your bedroom?

Bruster: Yeah, absolutely [laughs]. It was like I was placed back into high school.

Frierson: What's something you could eat every day and never get tired of it?

Bruster: I really love Chick-fil-A, just anything from Chick-fil-A. I try to switch things up but I really like just eight count (nuggets) and the grilled chicken sandwich — those are two really good options that I'll always go to.

Frierson: Being a senior, how much are you starting to think about life after college and life after soccer?

Bruster: It's really been on my mind a lot, just because it goes by so fast. I'm actually thinking about taking the fifth year that we were given (because of the pandemic), so I might have a little more time to think about it.

I've definitely thought about what I want to do and where I want to end up living — do I want to live in Atlanta or maybe a go to a bigger city like New York or something for a few years. And I've always wanted to go to law school, so that's also something that's been a consistent goal of mine.

Going pro is also something that I want to do, so there are just a lot of different paths that I can take, but I think I'm leaning toward probably taking an extra year, my fifth year here, just so I can finish on a year that I'm fully competing, that would be somewhat normal again.

Frierson: Looking back to when you first got here as a freshman, are there parts of you that are almost unrecognizable now because you've matured and grown so much over the last four years?

Bruster: I just think mentally I've grown a lot more as a person and become a lot more independent. I just think I was so young, like a child when I came into college, and everything was so new to me. I've realized as I've gotten over that I've started to focus a lot on myself and my goals and my priorities. I can definitely tell a difference.

(This Q&A was lightly edited for length and clarity.)

Assistant Sports Communications Director John Frierson is the staff writer for the UGA Athletic Association and curator of the ITA Men's Tennis Hall of Fame. You can find his work at: Frierson Files. He's also on Twitter: @FriersonFiles and @ITAHallofFame.

University of Georgia Athletics

Players Mentioned

Ashley Andersen

Mollie Belisle

Kayla Bruster

Katie Higgins

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