VERMILLION, S.D.—The last time the calendar pages turned to September,
Kellee Willer was living in Fayetteville, Ark., as a member of the University of Arkansas women's soccer team. An early season injury sidelined Willer, who would later choose to redshirt her freshman season and then make the decision to transfer schools.
"Arkansas was not a good fit for me," Willer said. "After phone calls home to my mom, I decided that I wanted to transfer and began reaching out to the other schools who had recruited me during high school. South Dakota was one of those schools and it was also the program that my older sister, Kylee, had played for.
"I reached out to Mandy and Josh [Green], who set up a visit for me to come to Vermillion. I stayed with a group of sophomores, who are now juniors, and I absolutely loved it. I loved where the program was headed and I loved the team. I called my mom right then and she knew I had made my decision."
Willer joined the Coyotes in January and already has a spring season under her belt. She's started three of the first four games at midfield and averaged 73 minutes on the pitch. Willer has taken four shots so far with one on-goal against UC Riverside.
"Kellee is a tough and tenacious midfielder," USD head coach
Mandy Green said when Willer's decision to transfer to South Dakota was announced. "She has good size, athleticism and reads the game well. She's quite crafty with the ball at her feet, helping create dangerous attacking opportunities."
With an older sister as a Coyote soccer alumna, the Vermillion community and the coaching staff were not entirely new to Willer. There were also a few familiar faces on the team as Willer had attended Coyote games against Denver and at other road opponents near her hometown of Fort Collins, Colo.
The Coyotes returned to Vermillion in early August for fall camp and preparation for the 2016 season.
"If anything after moving to Vermillion, I have been surprised in a good way," Willer said. "The team has a ton of fun when hanging out. We are practically family with how close we all are."
The Coyotes have made time to visit one another's relatives when on the road. After visiting
Corey Strang's home in California, the Coyotes will be hosted for lunch in Des Moines by Willer's grandmother, Marlys Pederson. South Dakota plays Drake at 7 p.m. Friday.
"My grandma loves the team," said Willer. "She loves watching and supporting us. When she heard we were going to be at Drake she got excited and wanted to have us come over to eat. She has always been incredibly supportive, coming to every game she can and the Drake game works perfectly. She's really excited about it."
After Friday's Drake game, South Dakota travels to Cedar Falls, Iowa, to face Northern Iowa at 1 p.m. Sunday.
