A solid mix of Heaven and Hell

By Kris Kotarski

There are faint outlines of an angel and a devil sitting on Katie Lee’s shoulders.

The angel is quietly paging through an engineering textbook, dressed in a comfortable hoodie with a look of innocence common to the divine. The devil is restless, shifting and adjusting a red soccer uniform while juggling a ball with a malicious smirk.

Off the pitch, Katie Lee parallels the angel. She tries to do it all and usually pulls it off (soccer player, engineering student, etc.). It is not uncommon to catch a glimpse of the Dinos soccer star dart from class to class to job to practice.

"I don’t even watch TV anymore," she said with a smile. "I don’t have time. I had to schedule time to see one of my roommates. For the first two months soccer is a big commitment."

On the pitch, Lee is a terror. Her intensity, dazzling skills and will to win make her one of the best and most-feared players in the country. To her opponents, there is nothing angelic about Lee at all. She is a five star general, a drill sergeant and a bar room bouncer rolled into one. Even her teammates feel Lee’s wrath once in a while as she has no qualms about being vocal on the field.

"When they deserve it, I give a yell," she smiled. "But I always try to give positive feedback. People make mistakes–you can’t be perfect."

Being one of the veterans on the Dinos, Lee makes it a goal to be outspoken.

"When they come on the field, I make sure I talk to them, to make it easier," said Lee of her younger teammates. "I know it’s intimidating to come in and play with all these players who’ve played together for a long time."

Lee understands because she’s been there. After suffering a devastating leg injury with the national squad, she rushed back too soon and tried to make her mark before she was 100 per cent.

"I went to Portugal with the national team in March and I wasn’t ready to be there," she said. "I just started running three weeks before that."

Lee didn’t return to form until she took off to the West Coast in May to continue playing in Vancouver for the summer.

"I was going to take some classes, ease up the load. But the national team coach basically told me ‘go do it.’ Once I got there I had the best time. It was the best decision I could have made."

Lee’s soccer future looks bright as her summer performance again earned her card a for the Canadian National Team. Aside from her possibilities with Team Canada, her 2001 Dinos are once again poised for a run at the national title. Lee is a big piece of the puzzle as an offensive threat on a squad of defensive stars.

"We can do some good things," said Lee, who already leads the Dinos in scoring this season. "As long as we stay disciplined, motivated, and there’s not too much team conflict, I know we’ll do really well.

"I’m superstitious enough not to say that we’re gonna go all the way," she adds. "But I’d like that. That’s something we all want."