Fifth-year winger for the men’s soccer team
By Davie Wong, Sports Editor
At a collegiate level, rarely do you find players that have spent the entirety of their five eligibility years with a specific team. It is rare, but every year there’s always a couple. This year, for the Douglas College Royals Men’s Soccer team, that player is Isaac Kyei.
Born on December 7, 1992, in LaSalle, Quebec, Isaac Kyei and his family moved to BC when he was only one due to Quebec’s frigid winters. His family, originally from Ghana, West Africa, immigrated to Canada before Isaac was born. One could say that soccer has always been in Isaac’s blood.
In fact, Isaac started kicking the ball around by the time he was six. However, his experience with competitive soccer didn’t begin until he was eight years old. As he explains it, his father got him started in the sport, but it was other significant figures who kept him going. “My dad enrolled me at the age of 8 and I’ve loved it ever since. Coaches have motivated me to join the sport and keep coming to practices.”
His journey from there was one filled with hard work. The right winger says that the position he plays reflects his personality perfectly. “I really like my right foot, so I always stuck to the right side. I like being in the midfield and front areas because I like to create and link up plays. The wing position requires a lot of work, which is something that I am able to push myself to do.”
In terms of play style, Isaac strives to be a dominant offensive playmaker, as well as a responsible defender. In his own words, Isaac would described his play style as the following: “I’m always trying to be an attacking threat. I push myself to be on both ends of the field, to help my team with both attacking and defending.”
This year, his playmaking style of play has been extremely evident. As he takes a step back from terrorizing the PACWEST scoring charts, his teammates take his spot. But for Isaac, this is how he would prefer it. “With me playing out wide, I’ve been really focusing on creating plays for other players. A lot of players expect me to be the goal scorer, but I don’t want to focus on that aspect. I want to focus on the team and building up the younger talent.”
However, like every fifth-year player, Isaac has some fairly high ambitions. In his last year with the team, he wants to win it all, and he thinks the Royals have a good shot at doing that. “With our group of guys this year, I think we can make the top two of Provincials, and even have a real shot of winning Nationals.”
But alas, the future awaits. For Isaac, this means finding a career in coaching. “I was motivated to go into coaching from all the years that I’ve played soccer, and from all the coaches who have coached me, and helped me become the player that I am. I want to help kids in the same way my coaches helped me.”
He has already taken steps toward furthering his career. Currently, he works at a boys and girls club, helping coach a variety of sports. He is also a part of the Bachelor of Physical Education program with a specialization in coaching. In the future, Isaac hopes to obtain his National C licence, as well as various other licences through Soccer for Life, as well as continue to play competitively with his Vancouver Men’s Soccer League team.
