Ariel Kite plays goalkeeper during her junior season. (Photo courtesy of Ariel Kite.)
March 15, 2023
As a goalie for ETHS since freshman year, Ariel Kite is a rock-solid final line of defense. She stumbled upon the position early in her soccer career.
“I was at that weird age where there’s not an assigned goalie so everyone plays goalie every once in a while, and I was just really good,” she says. “I was like, ‘oh, it’s fun.’”
“Really good” is an understatement. Three saves by Kite—including one stopped penalty kick in the last 16 minutes of last year’s sectional victory against New Trier—won the game for the team.
In the words of teammate Jordan Kadiri, Kite “really has to be a leader. She can see everything that we can’t.”
Kite had large shoes to fill in the wake of Caitlin Fitzpatrick, the 2021 season’s primary goalie, whose six saves in the sectional semifinal secured the team’s 1-0 shutout win against Loyola before their inevitable fall to New Trier in the next round of state playoffs.
“When I first started playing at the high school, freshman year, we didn’t really have a season because of COVID,” says Kite. “And then sophomore year, there was a senior
[goalie], so I split time with her and didn’t get to play. Last year, the team was really good
and it was my first year playing. People really underestimate how stressful it is to play with people watching.”
A leader in skill and personality, Kite has the confidence needed for such a pivotal position. The goalie committed to Kenyon University in the fall of last year to continue her soccer career in Division lll.
“I had some other offers,” Kite says. “I went back to Kenyon. I liked the team environment, and the school itself had a very collaborative environment. The other schools I was looking at had a more competitive culture.”
Kite enjoys the ETHS team for a similar reason, emphasizing the bond that the players share.
“It’s really fun getting to represent your school. I know that sounds cheesy, but it’s really fun representing your school and having people come to watch. We have so many traditions, and we spend a lot of time together.”
When she’s not playing soccer—either for ETHS or FC United—Kite can be found cooking, baking or volunteering at the Evanston History Center.
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