By Blake Chadwick
The Rose Hill girls’ soccer team is coming off a season in which they were crowned the 2024 AVCTL Division Four champions and finished fourth place at the Class 4-1A state championships.
One of the key returning players for the Rockets is senior center back Neveah Kelly, who earned first-team all-league and all-state honors.
Kelly has been playing soccer for 14 years, competing at a high level for much of that time. Now, in her senior season, her leadership will be more crucial than ever as she continues to elevate her intensity on the field.
“I will make sure that the new players know that it is ok to not know what is happening and how to do something and then help them as much as I can to make sure that they feel comfortable playing with us,” Kelly said.
The senior is also looking forward to finishing her career with her cousin Kyia Kelly, and best friend Ella Swearingen, both of who were named to the first and second all-league teams respectively, a season ago.
“It has been so fun playing with them since I was little,” Kelly said. “From starting to play when we were four, going to tournaments together and just having them there with me my whole time.”
With a lot of consistency back from a season ago and some really great pieces, it feels like a state championship-type of season for the Rockets as Kelly wants to go out a champion before she continues her academic and athletic career at Hutchinson Community College.
