Forward Kaitlyn Heinsohn sees scoring as her responsibility to the soccer team

Putting the ball in the back of the net – it’s what Kaitlyn Heinsohn has used to make a name for herself since her arrival at Montana last fall. 

The sophomore forward has been the predominant factor on Montana’s offensive attack these last two autumns. She led Montana in goals last season, converting three of the Grizzlies’ 10 goals as a true freshman. Heinsohn scored Montana’s first three goals this season. Her four goals tie her for fourth in the Big Sky Conference. But Heinsohn said she sees scoring neither as a privilege nor an opportunity – she sees it as a responsibility.

“I feel like if I don’t score, I let my team down,” Heinsohn said. “I’m a striker. I’m supposed to score so I feel like it is just something my teammates expect of me.”

Converting scoring chances is nothing new to the speedy forward. Heinsohn came to Montana following a prestigious high school career at Highline High School, just outside of Seattle. In her four-year varsity career at the 3A school (Washington’s second-largest high school classification), Heinsohn scored a Washington state-record 108 goals. She led the Seamount League in goals four straight seasons, earning all-conference honors four times and all-state honors twice. 

“During the recruiting process, we instantly recognized her fearlessness and her desire to be a contributor in every game she played,” said Montana head coach Neil Sedgwick, who is in his fifth season coaching the Griz.

Heinsohn’s prep accomplishments also garnered attention from schools across the country. She considered local institutions such as Seattle University and Seattle Pacific. She also received interest from Washington State and the University of Northern Florida. But Missoula has always held a special place in her heart.

“I chose Montana mainly because I really like Missoula because my grandparents live here,” said Heinsohn, who is majoring in health and human performance. “I grew up always coming here in the summers, and I’ve always loved it here.”

Family has always been important to Heinsohn. The daughter of Corey, a firefighter, and Kelly, a sales representative, Heinsohn received motivation in an unexpected form early on.

When Heinsohn entered high school in the fall of 2003, she was instantly a standout for the Highline Pirates. Her brother, Jordan, was a star distance runner on the cross-country and track teams. Jordan captured the Seamount League title in the 1,600 meters as a junior. Entering his senior season, Jordan was the favorite to contend for state titles in both sports.

But that fall, Jordan was diagnosed with vasculitis, a rare blood disease that ended his running career.

With her sporting career still in its infancy, the end to her brother’s dream of chasing state titles had a profound influence on how Kaitlyn approached competition.
“The fact that he had what he loved taken away from him really pushed me to succeed in soccer,” Heinsohn said. “At first I felt guilty being able to play soccer and watching Jordan struggle with losing what he loved.

But he has been so supportive of my athletic career and in the end it was a blessing in disguise because it helped us grow so much closer to one another.  And it also made me appreciate playing soccer because I realized it could all be taken away from me in an instant.”

Jordan, 22, recently graduated from the police academy and works for the King County Sheriff’s Department in Washington.

Montana struggled during the beginning of a difficult non-conference schedule that included matchups against two nationally ranked opponents. The Griz lost their first four contests by a combined score of 8-1. But Heinsohn provided fireworks in a confidence-boosting win over the University of Wyoming in early September.
Heinsohn scored both of Montana’s goals against the Cowgirls, the second score coming during the eighth minute of overtime to boost the Grizzlies to a 2-1 win, their first of the season.

It was her first game-winning goal of her collegiate career. 

“I don’t really know how I even did it. I just remember my whole team running to me and picking me up and going crazy,” Heinsohn said. “It was definitely one of my most memorable moments and it was our first win of the season so I think it really helped get our confidence level up.”

That was a banner week for the 5-foot-7 striker. For her efforts, Heinsohn was named the BSC Player of the Week the day after celebrating her 20th birthday on Sept. 8.

Much has been made of Heinsohn’s tremendous speed since her arrival at Montana. And while it contributes to her success, she said she thinks it’s secondary when it comes to punching in goals.

“My footwork and my ability to get through traffic really help me create scoring opportunities,” Heinsohn said. “I have had a lot of one-on-one coaching during my lift. The fact that I work on my foot work and other technical skills rather than just playing has been really important to my success.”

Sedgwick thinks that, although Heinsohn possesses special physical abilities, her success can be attributed to her cerebral abilities.

“Kaitlyn is brave, and she has a lot of self confidence,” Sedgwick said. “The combination of her dribbling ability and her goal scoring ability is not common in every player, but her self belief is what really helps her stand out.”

Individual success only means so much in a team sport and Heinsohn said she has come to realize that in her second season at Montana. And although Montana managed to post just a 3-7-1 record during their non-conference schedule, they enter BSC play with as many wins as they totaled all of last season after registering their first back-to-back wins since Oct. 2006. Montana defeated the University of North Dakota 4-1 last Friday. The Griz posted their second shutout of the season on Sunday against the University of Idaho, 2-0.

Heinsohn sealed the victory with a goal during the last minute of play.

“We have been working a lot in the last week on crossing and finishing and to score six goals in one weekend really shows our improvement,” Heinsohn said.
Montana opens conference play on the road, traveling to Ogden, Utah to face off against Weber State. The Wildcats finished their non-conference schedule 3-6-2. Weber defeated North Dakota 3-0, tied Boise State 2-2 (Montana lost 2-1), and tied Gonzaga 0-0 (Montana lost 1-0). 

colter.nunanez@umontana.edu