Casey Joyner Coeur D’Alene Year: Senior Sport: Soccer Position: Defender
There is only one Casey Joyner. Although if you were to watch the Coeur d’Alene soccer player, you would swear you were seeing double because she is so quick.
It sometimes looks as if she is on both sides of the field at the same time.
“I have it real tough when it comes to her,” said Vikings coach Geary Jerde. “I have a player who has 50 gears and the first one is fast.”
Joyner is a defender, a less-than-glamorous position. There are no headlines, not many stats and little opportunity to rip off your jersey to celebrate a winning goal. In fact, a defender’s job is to make sure the goalie doesn’t have to do hers.
Jerde knew that Joyner’s talent and energy would be wasted if he kept her in one spot. This year he has her doing double-duty, switching to forward when needed.
“I don’t think about it,” said Joyner. “It doesn’t make a difference. I’m doing what I can to make sure we win.” Standing still, Joyner is easy to spot. She is the one smiling and wearing the red shoes.
“The red shoes?” said Joyner with a laugh. “I saw them in a magazine. I was sick of black and white. So I bought them.”
According to Jerde, Joyner in gear is a blue blaze and red blur.
“She covers all the field,” said Jerde. “She is go for the entire game. She is the first to the ball and the last to ever make an excuse. I could spend hours talking about her. She is a terrific kid.”
When she isn’t defying gravity on the soccer field, Joyner’s ambitions range above the clouds. She plans to attend the University of Montana to play soccer and study science and the final frontier.
“I like the area and what it has to offer academically and for soccer,” she said. “One day, I hope to get into the space program. I’ve always wanted to be an astronaut. I want to walk on the moon some day. Instead of seeing the moon rise, I want to see the earth rise and see our planet like we see the moon.”
Until the day Joyner shoots for the stars, she’s content shooting goals. This year, she has three, probably a league record for defenders. Given the choice of defense or offense, she prefers the role of spoiler.
“I understand the position better,” Joyner said. “I really don’t care about the recognition as long as I am having fun.”
Fun is contagious for the Vikings, who are enjoying a 7-0 Border League start. Joyner feels that the Vikings have a strong shot at a state title as long as they continue to work together, leave petty things in the locker room and concentrate on the goals ahead.“The team is really working well together this year,” she said.
“There is a good chemistry and everyone is willing to work hard. I think that is the big difference from last year. We are lot more focused on soccer when we need to be.”