Woodward High School’s Ava Miller
Ava Miller has spent nearly her entire life with a soccer ball at her feet, and the Woodward High School senior has grown into the kind of midfielder who connects more than just the front and back lines of a formation. She connects a team.
Miller, a senior for the Boomers, has played soccer for 15 years and now anchors the midfield, a role she embraces for its constant demands. “The midfield is what connects the front of our formation and the back of our formation, meaning our heads are on a swivel at all times trying to find passes and runs that will move us up the field,” she said.
Her on-field vision is something she feels has taken a clear step forward this season. “I think this season I’ve improved on my change of direction with the ball at my feet and my ability to see the field and connect passes better,” Miller said. That growth fits with the self-discipline she says sports have instilled in her. “Sports have taught me to create a positive and hard-working mindset for myself and to not let others affect that,” she said.
Miller credits her parents as her deepest inspiration, not just in soccer but in how she approaches school, work and life. “They have taught me to work hard regardless of circumstances and to always go out and do my best,” she said. “They have pressed the importance of putting others before myself and to always try my hardest to live my life and play my game in a way that reflects Christ.”
On a team she describes as “almost always on the same page,” Miller and fellow midfielders Kaleigh and Lauren try to be the loudest voices on the pitch, directing traffic between the back line and the forwards. In the locker room and on the bus, laughs often come from teammate Yadira “Reggie” Reyes.
For Miller, the memories stand out more than any result. “Over the past four years wins and losses haven’t stuck with me as much as the memories we’ve made,” she said, listing bus rides, hotel stays and tournaments among her favorite parts of high school soccer. Away from the field, the English-loving writer enjoys tennis, art, time with friends and family and playing with her dog, all while cherishing a team she says feels like family.
