HAMILTON — The leaves are turning, and with them, the soccer experience at Badin High School for senior Mickayla Kowalski is heading toward a close.
In the meantime, Kowalski continues to leave her mark as a three-year starting goalkeeper for one of the top girls programs in Southwest Ohio, with 16 shutouts in goal, a Division II district championship and so many great saves that the “Mick Says No!” legacy will long survive her.
“It’s been unbelievable to play in a program with so much history,” said Kowalski, one of the premier goalies in that history. “Senior year, we’ve had a new start with a new coach — but it’s the same program with the same values and the same traditions.”
“Mickayla reminds me of the Vince Lombardi quote that leaders are made, not born, that they are made by hard effort,” said first-year Badin coach Joe Martin, whose previous game as a head coach saw his team win a Colorado state championship in 2016. “She leads by example. She has that quiet confidence in her abilities, and she provides trust and reliability to her teammates during some of the most intense plays throughout a game.”
Kowalski grew up with soccer and enjoyed it. Her two older sisters played, and her mother Sue remembers Mickayla making slide tackles at the age of 6 when slide tackles were not allowed — but that’s what Mickayla had been used to seeing.
Like all mothers, Sue well remembers the day Mickayla was born. But it was quite a day … Sept. 11, 2001.
“I just thought, what a wonderful day to have a baby,” said Mrs. Kowalski, an attorney at the state appellate court in Middletown. “It was also my mother’s birthday, and I was very excited about that.”
Mickayla — who goes by Mick — was born at 7:30 a.m. While the Kowalskis were in recovery waiting to be assigned a room, a nurse came bustling in to ask if they knew what was happening in the outside world.
“It was so overwhelming in a lot of ways,” Sue Kowalski said. “There were a lot of highs and lows that day. A happy time, but a tragic time. That’s about how the day went.”
In the midst of being a part of the family joy, Mickayla’s father Dan looked at his wife and said, “I should probably call in.” Dan Kowalski is a Cincinnati police officer and wondered if he would be needed that day.
Out of tragedy … life.
“Most birthdays are just a random day. It’s odd to have my birthday on such a special day,” said Mickayla, who turned 18 in September. “It’s definitely different. I know it means a lot to my parents and family.”
As the third of now four children in the family, Mickayla was likely going to follow her older sisters to Harrison High School. But one of her club soccer teammates encouraged her to look at an all-girls school with her, and then Mickayla’s mother told her off-handedly that if she wanted to look at Badin, she could do so. Her mother could drop her off on the way to work.
“I shadowed at Badin and right away I said, I want to go there,” Kowalski recalled. “I liked the small-school atmosphere and the faith-based education.
“Badin has been nothing but great, and the thing I think about most is, ‘What if I didn’t go to Badin?’ ” she added. “What would my life have been like? How many opportunities would have I missed, the great people that I have met?”
Her skill in the net had people talking as soon as Kowalski — now 5-foot-10, with a long crop of flaming red hair — stepped onto the Badin campus.
“I’ve always had a natural talent for playing in goal, and I’ve just upped my game over the years,” Kowalski said. “Playing for different club teams has helped, with the various training.”
More recently, Kowalski has been playing for TFA, Total Futbol Academy. The club team finished third in the country in the summer of 2018, and went to the eight-team national finals again in 2019. Kowalski earned the Golden Glove award in 2018 as the top goalie in the tournament.
“I enjoy playing,” said Kowalski, also a talented basketball player for the Rams. “It’s usually a lot of fun, with occasional hints of sick and tired. But mostly a lot of fun.”
“From the first time we met at the initial girls soccer meeting,” Martin said, “I knew that this young lady would be the leader of our soccer team and program for the upcoming season. Mickayla is always the first to assist and the first to encourage players on the field. She will do anything necessary to see her team succeed.”
“Trust” is a word you hear from people like All-Greater Catholic League senior defender Kelly Havens.
“You know you have this really good player backing you. I know if I miss a ball, she’s got it,” Havens said. “She’s like a big rock behind us. It’s just a trustworthy situation. She’s like the mom on this team, too. Not just on the
field, but off. Every day she asks you how you’re doing. You know that she cares about you as a person. That helps build the trust.”
Kowalski backstopped Badin’s trip to the Sweet 16 as a sophomore and helped the Rams secure a rare GCL championship as a junior. This year, Badin stands 9-4-1 heading into Wednesday’s game against Dayton Chaminade Julienne at Virgil Schwarm Stadium, sparked by a strong defense that knows Kowalski will protect them at the business end of shots.
“It’s always a good game when I don’t have anything to do,” Kowalski said. “When I have a lot to do, well, that’s what I’m out there to do.”
This season for Badin, Kowalski has turned in five shutouts and stuffed two penalty kicks. She laughs that when she comes out to make a play, it looks like a “big yellow highlighter” has suddenly appeared, considering the neon yellow or neon green goalie gear she is wearing for BHS in 2019.
“My teammates are my best friends and I really enjoy playing with them,” Kowalski said. “I know that they have my back the whole time. It can be stressful, but at the end of the day, it’s all good.”
Kowalski’s soccer journey will continue next year at Northern Kentucky University, where she has been committed for some time. She plans to major in biology with thoughts of a career in the medical field.
She’s excited for college, but has strong feelings about her Badin days as well. She’ll be happy to play for as long as the games may last
“It’s been unbelievable. I’ve been blessed,” Kowalski said. “That’s the way I feel. Everything like that.”
