University of Georgia Athletics
Quick Chat: Kayla Bruster
August 26, 2021 | Soccer, The Frierson Files
By John Frierson
Staff Writer
Kayla Bruster was entering some pretty select company as she sat down for a Quick Chat before the Georgia soccer team started practice Wednesday. A UGA graduate and a fifth-year player for the Bulldogs, Bruster was about to join the three-timers club.
I first sat down with the talented defender from Atlanta in September 2019, as her junior season was just getting started. Almost a year to the day later, Bruster participated in her second Quick Chat. The four-year starter is one of the most experienced players on a veteran-heavy team, and as her final season gets under way, Bruster is as wise, thoughtful and enthusiastic as ever.
The Bulldogs, 1-1 after their opening weekend, host Georgia State on Thursday night at the Georgia Soccer Complex and face Belmont on Sunday. During our Chat, Bruster talked about returning for one last season, plans for the future, getting comfortable on and off the field, and much more. Here's some of what she had to say:
Frierson: When we did one of these a year ago, you'd said you were leaning toward coming back for your fifth year, and here you are. What made you decide to play one more season for the Bulldogs?
Bruster: For personal reasons, I want to go pro after, and I just didn't feel like last season was enough for me to go pro off of. And for team reasons, it was kind of the same. I didn't feel like that was the season to end on and I just knew that we had a lot of potential. I kind of wanted to end it on a good year and I just saw where we were going.
Frierson: Does being a graduate feel different? What are you focusing on academically this semester?
Bruster: I'm actually studying for the LSAT right now. If I do good with my plan of going pro then I would only be here for this semester, so I didn't start going the grad school path because I'd only be able to get one semester done right now. I'm still in classes right now but I'm using this semester to study for the LSAT and take it at the end of the semester.
Frierson: This is your fifth year here at Georgia — does it feel like you've been here that long? Because of the pandemic and everything that's happened in the past 18 months or so, does it feel like you've been here forever?
Bruster: It definitely feels like I've been here a long time. I'm definitely just comfortable. Last year was very different, it wasn't as much of the normal experience of going on campus, and even with using the facilities and stuff, it was just very different. I guess it does feel like I've been here for a while, but it's nice to end kind of the way I started, with it being somewhat normal now.
Frierson: When did you find your comfort zone at Georgia?
Bruster: It was probably my junior year when I felt the most comfortable. My position calls for me to be very vocal and to insert myself (in what's happening on the field) anyways, but when I really started feeling comfortable and confident in a way that I could instruct and lead people around me, that was my junior year. It took a couple of years of going through it and understanding my role.
Frierson: In a perfect world, what are you doing 10 years from now?
Bruster: In a perfect world, I am living in a city and I'm doing something with contracts and sports, and that's why I want to go to law school. I don't want to be a sports agent but I do want to deal with the contracts and the legal side of sports. And hopefully, I'll still be able to train others in soccer. Even though I probably won't be playing in 10 years, I love the game and I eventually want to be able to start some kind of training group as a side thing.
Frierson: Who is the funniest person on this team?
Bruster: The funniest person who doesn't try to be funny is probably Mallie (McKenzie). She's just, I don't even know if it's because she's the funniest person but she's always making everyone laugh. I don't know if that makes sense — it's not necessarily that everything she's saying is funny but you're just laughing at what she's doing. She's just someone who's going to make everyone laugh.
(This Q&A was lightly edited for length and clarity.)
Staff Writer
Kayla Bruster was entering some pretty select company as she sat down for a Quick Chat before the Georgia soccer team started practice Wednesday. A UGA graduate and a fifth-year player for the Bulldogs, Bruster was about to join the three-timers club.
I first sat down with the talented defender from Atlanta in September 2019, as her junior season was just getting started. Almost a year to the day later, Bruster participated in her second Quick Chat. The four-year starter is one of the most experienced players on a veteran-heavy team, and as her final season gets under way, Bruster is as wise, thoughtful and enthusiastic as ever.
The Bulldogs, 1-1 after their opening weekend, host Georgia State on Thursday night at the Georgia Soccer Complex and face Belmont on Sunday. During our Chat, Bruster talked about returning for one last season, plans for the future, getting comfortable on and off the field, and much more. Here's some of what she had to say:
Frierson: When we did one of these a year ago, you'd said you were leaning toward coming back for your fifth year, and here you are. What made you decide to play one more season for the Bulldogs?
Bruster: For personal reasons, I want to go pro after, and I just didn't feel like last season was enough for me to go pro off of. And for team reasons, it was kind of the same. I didn't feel like that was the season to end on and I just knew that we had a lot of potential. I kind of wanted to end it on a good year and I just saw where we were going.
Frierson: Does being a graduate feel different? What are you focusing on academically this semester?
Bruster: I'm actually studying for the LSAT right now. If I do good with my plan of going pro then I would only be here for this semester, so I didn't start going the grad school path because I'd only be able to get one semester done right now. I'm still in classes right now but I'm using this semester to study for the LSAT and take it at the end of the semester.
Frierson: This is your fifth year here at Georgia — does it feel like you've been here that long? Because of the pandemic and everything that's happened in the past 18 months or so, does it feel like you've been here forever?
Bruster: It definitely feels like I've been here a long time. I'm definitely just comfortable. Last year was very different, it wasn't as much of the normal experience of going on campus, and even with using the facilities and stuff, it was just very different. I guess it does feel like I've been here for a while, but it's nice to end kind of the way I started, with it being somewhat normal now.
Frierson: When did you find your comfort zone at Georgia?
Bruster: It was probably my junior year when I felt the most comfortable. My position calls for me to be very vocal and to insert myself (in what's happening on the field) anyways, but when I really started feeling comfortable and confident in a way that I could instruct and lead people around me, that was my junior year. It took a couple of years of going through it and understanding my role.
Frierson: In a perfect world, what are you doing 10 years from now?
Bruster: In a perfect world, I am living in a city and I'm doing something with contracts and sports, and that's why I want to go to law school. I don't want to be a sports agent but I do want to deal with the contracts and the legal side of sports. And hopefully, I'll still be able to train others in soccer. Even though I probably won't be playing in 10 years, I love the game and I eventually want to be able to start some kind of training group as a side thing.
Frierson: Who is the funniest person on this team?
Bruster: The funniest person who doesn't try to be funny is probably Mallie (McKenzie). She's just, I don't even know if it's because she's the funniest person but she's always making everyone laugh. I don't know if that makes sense — it's not necessarily that everything she's saying is funny but you're just laughing at what she's doing. She's just someone who's going to make everyone laugh.
(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.
Players Mentioned
Defender
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