By Brigette Ramirez
UGA Sports Communications

It was always going to be soccer for Assa Kante.

Kante’s father, Daouda, played collegiate soccer at Florida International before turning professional after being drafted by D.C. United in the 2002 MLS SuperDraft. Kante and each of her siblings grew up playing soccer and being coached by their dad, and Kante even plays the same position, defender.

Following in her father’s footsteps, Kante’s ultimate goal is to play professional soccer. To reach this goal, the redshirt junior knew she had to make a change after two years at Kansas.

Although Kante had a strong sophomore campaign at Kansas, starting 19 of 24 matches and helping lead the Jayhawks to a Big 12 Tournament title, she knew in order to play at the next level, she would have to push herself out of her comfort zone to grow as a person and player.

“I wanted to try something different, play for a different type of playing style,” Kante said. “I knew that Georgia was it for me because I’d heard such amazing things about these coaches, and they have such a great reputation. Just from watching them, I knew this was a place that I wanted to be.”

Coming from Kansas to Georgia, there have been lots of changes for the Kansas native. In just three months, Kante has adjusted to a new school, new conference, new state, new coaches, and new teammates.

“From Day One, the girls have been so welcoming to me and helped me with my transition because I’ve never been away from home,” Kante said. “I’ve always stayed close to home, so this was definitely a huge adjustment for me. The girls have been nothing but amazing to me. Same with the coaching staff, so the adjustment has honestly been super smooth.”

“I feel like coming from KU, we were definitely more directly involved, but here at Georgia we like to possess more, and that’s something I wanted to break into and try something different,” she explained. “Just be uncomfortable in a different setting. I knew that I wanted to play for a more possessional entity.”

A little more than halfway through the season, and it seems as though Kante’s decision to come to Georgia was a good one. She has started 10 of 11 games and scored her first goal as a Bulldog in the team’s 4-1 win at Ole Miss on Sunday.

“She’s been phenomenal defensively,” Georgia head coach Keidane McAlpine said. “Helping us when it comes to giving us a player with experience to play on the back line, and really helping us develop this new squad. Definitely getting better every day, growing every day, and her energy, her joy is infectious, and it’s been great for the team.”

The No. 21-ranked Bulldogs have started SEC play 3-0 for the first time since 2007 and look to continue their strong conference play through the remainder of the season.

“So far we’re doing really well in the SEC, so that’s something I’d like to continue,” Kante said. “I’d love to win the SEC regular season and then the tournament would be cool, too. Just take every game day by day. I’m super excited to see where we go.”

After two years playing in the Big 12, Kante has noticed a difference in the teams and styles of play in her new conference.

“The SEC is definitely a very athletic, quick, aggressive conference,” Kante said. “Not only that, you see a lot of teams that are able to possess and play good soccer. I like this conference because I like the mixture. We have crazy athletic teams. We also have teams that like to possess and play.”

Despite her success on the field, Kante considers this year a season of growth for her, with her biggest personal goals being to continue to push herself to grow and learn as much as she can.

“She’s seen more situations. She’s reading them better. I think the biggest thing is going to be playmaking a little bit more,” McAlpine said. “The way we’ve been able to play, she’s had the ball at her feet a lot in moments to make the game and be the one to set things in motion. She’s grown every game, and I want to see her continue to grow in that area. If she does that, then we’re going to continue to get better.”

“As each game goes on, I’ve started to feel more comfortable playing and adjusting to our playing style,” Kante said. “I think the season’s been great so far. We’ve had great competition, we’ve been doing well, but I think this has been a season of growth, and I’m so excited to continue growing and learning.”

The Bulldogs are back in action Friday when they host Florida at the Turner Soccer Complex.