Paityn Bruce, ’24, is a 4 year varsity member on the Redwood Womens Soccer Team. She has recently committed to Nicholls State University and continues to further her athletic career at the collegic level.
By: Reagan King
Paityn Bruce, ’24, has been playing soccer ever since she was 3 years old. She has worked really hard to get to where she is today and has faced many challenges, such as her injury that took her out of her junior season.
Bruce says, “My injury set me back a good amount especially since it was during my main recruiting time, so when I came back it was kind of hard getting in front of coaches and showing my skills off.”
“I had physical therapy, would drive every Saturday to Fresno and would do stuff up there to help get me back.” Bruce says, “The injury did make me upset but all I could really do was be there for the team as much as I possibly could.”
Bruce says, “There’s a lot of hard work that goes into this sport and I have worked extra hard to get to where I am, so I would say I deserve this chance to commit to a D1 school.”
She says, “I’m really excited committing, I’ve worked for this for a while now, so knowing I’ve accomplished this makes me really happy.”
With being on varsity for 4 years, Bruce has worked really hard earning her starting spot on the team. She says, “It’s a really cool being on the team for so long, and meeting the new girls, but also seeing the older girls leave, and taking their role and becoming the leaders of the team.”
She says, “My dad has driven me to continue playing, my mom as well, but he’s always been there, supported me, and pushed me to be the best I can be.”
Coach Vieira, is the head coach of the Womens Varisty Team. He says, “She has a great work ethic. Paityn is always pushing herself and in turn the other girls see that and want to improve their own game.”
Coach Vieira says, “Her freshmen year she relied a lot on her physical gifts, especially her speed and quickness. As she has gotten older her game has really developed. She has worked a lot with her on ball skills and is an excellent passer and distributor of the ball as well.”
He says, “I would say I’m just incredibly proud of her for committing. Paityn is coming back from a very serious knee injury and I know she’s put so much work into getting her body back into playing shape, I’m so proud of her.”
Reagan King
Reagan King is a first year journalist for the Redwood Gigantea and a junior here at Redwood High School. She's interested in writing sports and watching student athletes thrive and work hard. She's always loved watching and playing sports and is on the Redwood softball team. She hopes that when she writes, she can put a smile on peoples faces and tell their story from another perspective.
Tags: #athletics, #redwood, #rhs, #soccer, #sports