Northern Star: Alyssa Doyle
Denfeld Senior to play for UMD in 2024
DULUTH, Minn.- Duluth Denfeld’s Alyssa Doyle is currently in her senior year, and she’s already cemented her status as a Hunters legend on the soccer field. However, she’s not letting that get to her head.
“I know that I couldn’t do this without my teammates behind me and without the support that I’ve gotten.” Says Doyle, who recorded 19 goals and 13 assists as a junior in 2022.
“I think her number one goal is team success, which is super cool.” Says Denfeld Girls Soccer Head Coach Leah Hamm. I jokingly asked Hamm if Doyle makes her job a little bit easier. She smiled and said “Oh heck yeah! She makes my job a lot easier.”
Hamm is well aware of Doyle’s impact on the pitch. Through eight games in the 2023 season, Doyle has more than twice as many goals as any other player in Section 7AA girls soccer.
“I’ve had a lot of conversations with my coach, and she’s great with encouraging me and helping me stay positive with myself.” Said Doyle. “I know that I have a phenomenal team behind me that helps me do the majority of the work and help me out.”
“It’s really nice to play with Alyssa.” Says Luci Chastey, a sophomore that’s assisted on many of Doyle’s goals. “I know that if I can get the ball to her feet, she’s going to score.”
However, just because she scores most of her team’s goals doesn’t mean she’s selfish.
When asked how she leads the Hunters, she responded “I consider myself like a vocal player…Just communicating my knowledge through directions through my teammates and helping them continue to work hard even though they’re tired.”
Coach Hamm backed up Doyle’s words. “Off the field, she’s making sure practices run smoothly, she’s checking in with her teammates, she’s putting in hard work at school. She’s a great asset for us.”
In the fall of 2024, Doyle will be playing for the UMD Bulldogs. As a former collegiate athlete herself, Coach Hamm knows her senior is ready for a step up in competition. “She’s always asking what she can get better at, asking how she can get stronger on the field. I just have a ton of confidence moving forward, I think she’s going to do great.”
While Doyle is excited for what’s ahead, she wants to make sure Denfeld soccer will be in good hands for years to come.
“It’s every team in our section’s goal to go to state, and that’s like the top thing that I would like to do, but knowing mentally that I just left it all out there and I like left a good imprint on the program, I feel like that’s what matters to me and knowing that younger girls want to come back to play another year and help the program develop.”
Duluth Denfeld will take on Hibbing/Chisholm on Thursday. After that, the Hunters will be on the road for six of their final seven games.
