Lansing Christian sophomore Kasey Jamieson, left, is looking to carry the Pilgrims back to the Division 4 state championship game.
Kasey Jamieson said she’s always been one to welcome pressure.
And after her stellar freshman campaign ended with a 49-goal season and a trip to the Division 4 state title game, the Lansing Christian soccer standout was met with arguably the highest expectations of her playing career coming into her sophomore year. Most of which she forced onto herself.
“Obviously, this year, I thought I had a lot to live up to with me being a high-impact player (last season),” said Jamieson, whose 49-goal season last year put her in the top 20 in state history. “The pressure I put on myself is good. It makes me want to get better and play better.
“I put it on myself to live up to my own expectations. And once I live up to it, the pressure can go away.”
Jamieson, who was a State Journal Dream Team and first team all-state selection last year, has answered her own call in the beginning stages of the girls soccer season. The sophomore has scored 20 goals through 13 games and has helped the No. 1-ranked Pilgrims (11-1-1) become an early-season favorite to return to the sport’s final weekend.
Last season’s combination of both individual and team success is what generated the self-imposed burden for Jamieson. But as the season has taken off, she’s seen the continued improvement within herself and by her team, which ushered in several freshman this season, and it’s eliminated some of the weight.
“We have a better team that helps score goals, and I don’t have to score as much,” Jamieson said. “I’ve been getting a lot more assists than I did last year. It’s a different way of contributing overall.”
Still, if Jamieson doesn’t score in a match she said she doesn’t “feel like I lived up to my potential.” And it’s not because of any personal accolades, she added. It’s because that’s how she is accustomed to contributing to the team’s success.
“One of the things that stands out about Kasey, besides that she’s an extremely talented player, is that she always puts the team above her individual stats,” Lansing Christian coach Joel Vande Kopple said. “I think it’s typical of the really good athletes (to put pressure on themselves). They’re their own worst critic.”
With having played such a big role in last year’s run, despite still being an underclassmen, Jamieson said she’s taken over the role of bridging the gap between the newcomers and the veterans.
“She’s not afraid to put her arm around somebody,” Vande Kopple said.
Jamieson has embraced the pressure, as well as her new role, and now she just wants to put her arms around the championship trophy.
“We know how many people wants us to make it to the state championship,” she said. “We all have that heart to win. …All of us have that passion for winning. And, if we lose, we’re all upset about it.”
Contact James L. Edwards III at jledwards@lsj.com. Follow him on Twitter @JLEdwardsIII.