LCCC's Wulff signs with Oklahoma Christian
Jan. 5—CHEYENNE — Nate Ulness would have to rack his brain to think of a time over the past 16 months that he encountered Jayla Wulff around the Laramie County Community College campus, and she didn't have a soccer ball with her.
"She is a soccer junkie," the second-year LCCC women's soccer coach said. "She was always one of the first kids to practice and always one of the last ones to leave. Sometimes that was because she forgot something on the field, but most times it was because she was out there working on something after practice.
"She was always in our racquetball room, in the (multi-purpose room) or weight room working on something. She almost always had a soccer ball in her arms or at her feet."
That dedication helped Wulff stand out during her two seasons with the Golden Eagles and sign a letter of intent to continue her career at NCAA Division II Oklahoma Christian University.
"Her first touch was one of the best on the team," Ulness said. "She is very confident with the ball and very confident dribbling. Sometimes she's too confident, but she always wants the ball at her feet and always wants to make something happen.
"She sees the field really well and would sometimes thread passes through holes I couldn't see from the sideline. I attribute that to her hard work away from the team and doing extra work on her own and with our assistant coaches."
The Laramie High graduate started six of the 14 matches she played in during her freshman season at LCCC. She netted three goals and assisted on one more to help LCCC reach the NJCAA tournament in June.
As a sophomore, the midfielder started 13 of 18 matches she played in. She netted two goals and dished out an assist during the fall season.
"I just love the game," Wulff said. "LCCC has a ton of facilities you can use to work on your game every day. It's been awesome to have those resources, so I've tried to take advantage of them."
Wulff's passion for the game is infectious Ulness said.
"I don't know that I've ever seen her in a bad mood or seen her have a bad day," the coach said. "You need someone like that on your team because that positive energy permeates the entire team. We're going to miss that.
"She has taught some of her freshman teammates to have a similar love and passion. She's left a positive legacy on the program."
Wulff could have returned for a third season because the National Junior College Athletic Association gave all athletes who were impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic during the 2020-21 season an additional season of eligibility. The elementary education major was leaning that way, but visited OCU's campus with Ulness' urging.
"I started looking into the program and found out they had a new coach and saw an interview with him that really got me interested in (OCU)," said Wulff, who wants to pursue a minor in Spanish. "I could tell through the interview what type of coach he is and what style he likes to play. Soccer-wise, I think it's a great fit.
"After a couple conversations over Zoom and my official visit, everything kind of fell into place. I also like that it's a Christian school."
Jeremiah Johnke is the WyoSports editor. He can be reached at jjohnke@wyosports.net or 307-633-3137. Follow him on Twitter at @jjohnke.
