Note: In the print version of this story Tafte’s name was spelled incorrectly. It is published here in its corrected version.

With prep sports heading into the post season, physical injuries abound. This holds true for the Kingston soccer team. Despite battered shins and hairline fractures, the girls continue to face opposition head on.

The soccer team holds a record of four wins, three ties and eight losses for the season. On Nov. 3 they will face an undetermined opponent as the forth seed in the League.

For head coach Craig Smith, the soccer team is the strongest it has ever been and players such as Rachel Tafte have made that happen.

Tafte became the lead goal scorer on the team early on in the season, despite being a defender. When Smith saw her potential, he began encouraging her to take goal opportunities when she saw them.

“It takes a keen eye, great timing and superb fitness to be able to make it across the field and score as a defender,” Smith said.

During halftime of the team’s first game against Port Angeles, Smith decided that moving her up was a good choice. Though she wouldn’t become a forward until halfway through the season, this did not stop her from becoming the top goal scorer on the team, with more than nine goals.

“I always liked to play as a forward, I just felt like I could show what I learned,” Tafte said.

Tafte has played soccer since she was about 6 years old after her step father began coaching a team. She moved on to recreation soccer and then joined the high school team.

“I have always been one of the top goal scorers on the team,” Tafte said. “But I definitely could not do it without the rest of the team.”

Standing at approximately 5 feet 9 inches tall, Tafte looks built for soccer. Her long legs quickly became revered by other teams and for her team, an attribute the coaches came to rely on when it came to free kicks.

“It’s really exciting during a free kick,” Tafte said. “The adrenaline gets to you as the crowd cheers, expecting you to give it your all.”

Though she suffered an injured knee during the season, she continues to play every game and her all is what has had other teams worried.

“I know she is respected by a lot of coaches. This has resulted in players doubling up on her during games,” Smith said. “That can be frustrating too, but she has handled it pretty well.”

Smith described Tafte’s kick as an accurate, straight-shot to the goal. While some players “chip” the ball in, her power keeps the goalies on their toes, he said. Tafte now has the most goals scored total on the team.

Becoming the top goal scorer not only takes invdividual skill, but teamwork. The goal assists Tafte received this year from players such as junior Tori Girkin and junior Jen Reitan made the team’s progress through the season relatively smooth despite the injuries.

Together, Girkin and Tafte were a duo on the field that was difficult to overcome. However, a fracture early in the season forced Girkin off the field. Since then, the rest of the team has done what they can to help make the goals.

“The season started off rough, but we were quick to come back,” Reitan said.

Smith changed the team’s formation to focus on the offense, leaving the middle defense vulnerable. Though this is not something seen often in prep soccer, he said it worked this season.

“We were able to get a lot more goal scoring,” Reitan said. “Now we just need to make sure to finish our last games strong.”

While the team prepares to play its final games, Tafte is not done playing soccer. After the season is over she plans on going back to the Northwest Nationals team, which she will play for until high school is over.