Oregon State’s Kaillen Fried loves set pieces, skiing, and the state of Oregon
Midfielder Kaillen Fried had only one assist through her first three NCAA seasons at Oregon State. Now as a senior in 2021, she has already tallied five in eight matches, all coming from set pieces.
“Last season our set piece taker was Paula Leblic, who was a senior,” Fried told BGN. “This year knowing that Paula wouldn’t be here to take our set pieces we needed someone to take corners and free kicks. Because of COVID, our season was moved to Winter/March of 2021 so during the Fall I spent time at the field working on corner kicks on my own and after practices.”
“My coaches really helped me to find my craft and technique in taking corners. I owe it all to my teammates for getting on the end of them. I have the easy part of sending the ball in but it’s really them who make it happen. Sydney Studer has finished three of my corners this year off of header goals.”
The Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Week earlier this month, She’s thriving and enjoying her new role within the team. “I always have a lot of fun on set pieces,” Fried said. “It is a really good scoring opportunity, so I always get really excited and also nervous. My teammates have been amazing this year at getting on the end of free kicks.”
With Fried’s newfound love of set pieces, who would be on her Mt. Rushmore of free-kick takers in soccer history? She answered, “My Mt. Rushmore of taking free kicks would be Cristiano Ronaldo, David Beckham, Ronaldinho, and Diego Maradona.”
Kaillen had to wait longer than most players to get back on the pitch after an injury ended her 2019 season prematurely. “It felt great to get back,” she said. “You never really expect to get a broken wrist from a soccer game and have to sit out the rest of the season due to your wrist.”
“Although injuries suck, I was very fortunate that it was just my wrist as I got surgery and was back within a month. Being out really made me miss it and made me that much hungrier to get back on the field with my team.”
The corner kick & header are good for a @beaverwsoccer goal! 👏
📺 Pac-12 Network
📲 https://t.co/FZpVX1nszl pic.twitter.com/K12zVKI1Om— Pac-12 Network (@Pac12Network) March 7, 2021
A native of Sherwood, Oregon, Fried also gets to continue to represent her home state as she moves through her senior season. Discussing the decision to stay in Oregon for college, Kaillen said, “It was really important to me. Family is huge to me and I wanted to be able to go to a school where my family could come to every home game and watch.”
“I also have a younger brother and sister, so being close to home was important so I could come back and watch their sporting events as well. Often on off days I will go home and see my family, they mean so much to me.”
What’s the most underrated thing about the Beaver State? “To me, Oregon is the most beautiful state that I have been to,” Fried said. “I was fortunate enough to have grown up in Oregon and see all its nature beauty.”
Kaillen definitely had a great view of some of Oregon’s outdoor beauty as she participated in one of her favorite activities outside of soccer. “I really enjoy skiing but it’s hard to find time to,” she said. “Growing up, my family would always go to Mt. Bachelor in Bend, Oregon. That is definitely my favorite place to ski because it’s never too crowded and the slopes are always well groomed and have fresh powder.”
“I definitely am not an expert. I can go down black diamonds but very slow and cautious to the point where it isn’t fun. It’s just about not getting hurt. I would call myself intermediate and ski more for the fun of it.”
While she may not be an expert on the slopes, we know Fried specializes in set pieces and soccer. Next up for Fried and the Beavers? A rivalry matchup tomorrow vs. Oregon. Kickoff is set for 4 PM Pacific in Corvallis and the match will be live on the Pac-12 Networks.
