[media-credit name=’GREGORY DIXON/Herald photo’ align=’alignright’ width=’336′][/media-credit]There is a saying in soccer that states, "Simplicity is brilliance." It's a rarity for your average soccer player to be able to take charge of a game with a simple header or with a drive to the goal. However, Kara Kabellis is not your average soccer player.

Over the course of her last four seasons on the field, the captain and midfielder of the women's soccer team continues to impress people with her relentless grit on the field, making the teammates around her better and causing fits to the opposition.

Graduating from Providence Catholic High School in Illinois where she was a standout soccer player, Kabellis was inserted into the starting lineup her freshman year, playing alongside standout Wisconsin players Marissa Brown and Amy Vermeulen. In her freshman season, Kabellis started all 21 matches, totaling six goals and two assists, including three game-winning goals. Despite her nerves early in the season, Kabellis' impressive play earned her a spot on the All-Big Ten freshman team.

"I think my freshman year I really didn't know what to expect," Kabellis said. "I guess that there were some nerves obviously for the first couple of games. But, I felt comfortable about our success, comfortable with my surroundings and everybody made me feel at home on the field."

In her sophomore season, Kabellis began to develop into a solid young player and receive more attention from opposing defenses, drawing two or even three defenders on her at a time. That didn't stop Kabellis, as she recorded six goals and three assists in 2004. By drawing extra players and putting up big numbers, Kabellis became an irreplaceable asset to the team.

"The opponents have to keep an eye on her so when we have corner kicks, they have to be aware of her," said assistant coach Carrie Baker. "Opponents are actually going to mark her most of the time. She actually draws attention to herself which allows others to be more open at times because defenses are more concerned stopping Kara."

What gives Kabellis that confidence is her hard work ethic. According to the coaches, she is always one of the first players to arrive and one of the last to leave. During practice, Kabellis never takes a drill off, always giving everything she has to try to improve her game and to help improve the team. Whether it's working on improving her skills with air balls or practicing her cross passes, Kabellis always strives to improve.

"She's a gamer," said head coach Dean Duerst. "She's an intense player that never wants to not give more than 120 percent. You just see that in every exercise. She's giving it the best she can, and that's what you want as a coach. She helps make those around her play better, and that is a great thing."

After leading her team to the Big Ten tournament title and having another stellar season, where she finished second on the team in goals and points, Kabellis set her sights high in her senior season. With the loss of an outstanding senior class, Kabellis was looked upon to carry the scoring burden. Elected one of the team captains by her peers, Kabellis has led the charge for the soccer team, scoring four goals and continuing to help the younger players grow. According to Duerst, that understanding has come from her years of progression not only as a player, but as a person as well.

"[Kara] understands that she can't do it all," said Duerst. "She understands where to run, how to run and when to run a lot more. She understands where the ball needs to go a little bit more. She needs to know when to take the game over and when to move into position for her teammates to get into spaces, and that just opens up her team's play and her play as well. You need to have balance, especially as midfielder, and [Kara knows] her role."

With her senior season coming to an end, Kabellis will be closing one of the most successful careers of any women's soccer player before her. Through her display of a hard work ethic, her passion for soccer and her willingness to go through a wall for her team, she has garnered the respect of her teammates, coaches and opponents and become the poster girl for women's soccer at Wisconsin.

When she leaves, Kabellis wants to be remembered not for her own accomplishments, but for making those around her better and making the team peak at the right time.

"[When my career is over], I would want to be remembered as someone who played their best every game," Kabellis said. "However, it would be great to be remembered as someone who tried to make the people around me better every game as well."