Trinity’s Cockerham takes historic football milestone

Thom Hayes says the reason Kailene Cockerham has scored 52 goals in her career as a member of the Trinity Lutheran women’s football team is because of her knowledge of the game.

“She has the gift of being in the right place at the right time,” he said. “And, she has good ball control skills so she can handle the ball while still finding space to shoot. She has a very powerful and precise shot.

Cockerham scored a hat trick in Tuesday’s 6-2 home win over Christian Academy of Indiana.

Her first goal that night gave her 50 career goals and meant a lot to her.

“The ball was passed to me, I don’t know by whom, and I hit a defender and it was just me and the goalkeeper,” she said. “The goalie was focused on the side closest to me and I hit the far corner and he bounced back.

“I was like, ‘Wow! I can’t believe I hit it.

She scored her 49th goal against Brown County on September 9, and she couldn’t score against Corydon or Scottsburg the next two games before scoring against CAI.

“It was a lot of happiness,” she said of the No. 50 goal. “I thought, ‘Okay, I’m out of pressure. “At the start of the season, I knew that would be my goal this season, in addition to helping the team win.

She scored 8 goals in her freshman year, 17 each in her second and junior seasons and now 10 this fall.

Cockerham started recreational football at Seymour when she was younger and then said the Cyclones travel team recruited her and asked her to join their team. Cockerham joined the Cyclones and played with them until the eighth grade.

“In eighth grade, I took a hiatus because I was doing so many sports,” she said. “When I started high school I said I really wanted to start over.”

When it comes to what she loves about the game, she loves the strategy it takes to be successful in soccer.

“I love all the teamwork that goes into football. No player can do it all on their own because it’s such a big field to play on, ”Cockerham said. “I also like seeing the excitement of other players after they score. I love how much of a team game it is.

Cockerham hopes to play in college and has said she is considering Franklin or Ball State because of their psychology programs.

Hayes, who was her head coach for three years, said she can score with both feet.

“Whichever side the defense gives her, she can go that way and shoot,” said Hayes.

He said he felt she could excel at the next level.

“Its size is probably a downside, but it makes up for that with its strength and ability to find space and shoot,” said Hayes. “In the middle of the field against a bigger player you can see that she struggles sometimes, but she makes up for that very well, especially on the offensive side.”

Besides scoring, Cockerham can pass the ball very well and she is very proud of her pass.

“Most of the time I hit a few touches and make sure the ball goes all the way through and then I throw it,” she said.

One of Hayes’ favorite plays at Cockerham this season was actually a pass she made.

“She’s very good at passing. In fact, the best game I’ve seen her play all season wasn’t a goal, ”said Hayes. “It was a perfect through pass for Sarah Lemming, who took it, finished it and scored.”

Hayes said he enjoys training her.

“She’s easy to train, she’s open to learning. Even in her senior year, she still asks me things, and I give her advice and she will use it and get better, ”he said. “So she is always looking to improve. She takes instructions very well and she’s just a great asset to the team all around. It was funny. I know the coaches who coached her on the travel program and they always had good things to say about her. She’s just a big part of the squad, on and off the pitch.

Cockerham helped the Cougars win the Providence section last year. She scored Trinity’s second goal in a 2-0 victory over the Pioneers in the section final.

The following week, Cockerham scored Trinity’s lone goal in a 1-0 win over Washington Catholic in the Forest Park Regional. The Cougars lost to the Rangers in the regional final.

It has been a great career for Cockerham on the court, and she has enjoyed being a student-athlete at Trinity, where she also plays basketball.

“This is a great opportunity and I love the way everyone at Trinity cares about you and they encourage you to go out and try something new,” she said. “They always welcome you, no matter how good you are. It’s a great environment to be in.