Kyra Petrole grew up as many other young soccer players, but where she is now is a great testimonial to the longstanding theory that you can’t improve without practice.  She worked her way from Junior Rhinos club soccer to the college ranks, at the University of Akron.  Furthermore, she has decided to play professional soccer for the Rochester Ravens during her summers when she is back in Rochester.

She knew she wanted to seriously pursue the game of soccer when she was in middle school and it became evident that the best way to get noticed by coaches was to play on a premier club team such as the Junior Rhinos.  There wasn’t an “eureka” moment that made her realize she wanted to pursue the game but as the sport stayed in her life it kept growing on her.

“I honestly just loved the game and wanted to continue to play soccer at the highest level I could,” Petrole stated.  “The longer I played at a high level, the more I wanted to play college soccer.”

After middle school, Petrole decided to enroll at the Aquinas Institute of Rochester to further her education and play high school soccer.  In addition to the competitive soccer environment at Aquinas, she enjoyed the fact that she was surrounded by many of her best friends.  Moreover, Aquinas had a tradition of producing college players and winning sectional trophies, which also lured her to the school.

Fast forward a few years and you find Petrole back in Rochester for her third season.  She is ecstatic that she’s able to return for her summers and see her friends and family that she doesn’t see as much during the academic year.  Rochester will always be viewed as her home and that is obvious when you ask her what she misses the most during the academic year.

“I miss Wegmans the most because they do not have a Wegmans in Ohio,” she says.  “Other than that, I just miss my family and friends that I am accustomed to seeing all of the time.”

As for this year’s Ravens team, Petrole is very excited for what the season holds.  She looks forward to all of the talented athletes on the team and another year with the coaching staff.  This team has great chemistry and they’re committed to playing as a team, like any successful team is.  More importantly, the players know that they must form a second family in order to perform well.

Although Petrole is benefitting from all of her hard work as a soccer player, she knows where her roots are, her parents.

“I would like to thank my parents because they are the ones who have pushed me and supported me,” says Petrole. “Without them I would not be here today.”