Former soccer standout, Kavita Battan, made the trip across the pond this week as her professional career is right around the corner with Skovde KIK.  Before play begins in Sweden, GoVandals.com has one more message for Kavita from her biggest fans: her parents.
 
Soccer has been Kavita's passion for the last 18 years. She started playing soccer by watching her older brother. It did not take long, but you could tell from the first time that she touched the ball that she was a natural.
 
We have always loved watching Kavita play soccer, she has a fluidness about her when she has the ball at her feet.  There have been games where you are thinking that it is over, there is no way we are going to win, but she has the knack for finding the back of the net when the stakes really matter.  We remember State Cup U-15 semifinal game at Star-fire Complex in Seattle.  10 seconds left in the game and we were down by one.  We thought the game was over, but Kavita got the ball on the 18 and took a shot, straight into the upper V, without even looking at the net.  She tied the game, to send the play into overtime and we won that game in a shootout.  The team went on to win the State Cup Championship, and it was all because she never gave up.  That is something that you see in her, she is driven and for her it's not over until the whistle blows. She is a huge game changer.   Her field vision is phenomenal, she anticipates what the next play is going to be, she's magic to watch.
 
We are extremely proud of all her hard work and dedication. She has paved the way for her continued success through College by helping The University of Idaho Women's Soccer Program achieve, the first time in program history, Big Sky back-to-back Championships in the years 2015 and 2016. After graduating college, she had the honor of playing for The United States Women's University Games in Taipei, Taiwan in 2017. During her tenure with Team USA, she helped them place in the top five for the first time in program history. Last but not least, she has accomplished her lifelong dream of becoming a Professional Soccer Player by being signed by Skovde KIK in the Swedish Football League Women's Division 1 Professional League.
 
The injuries and setbacks along the way have helped mold her into the successful soccer player she is today.  She knows how to deal with adversity and rise above, which are all lessons she learned on the soccer field.

- The Battans
   

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