GIRLS SOCCER: Roper cashes in on friendly wager with first-career goal

For weeks, it had been a running joke between Asia Roper and Kiley Kirkendall.

A dollar for every goal the former scores.

On Monday night, Roper finally made her teammate pay up.

The Claremore senior scored her first-career goal in the final minutes of the Lady Zebras’ 4-0 victory over Durant in the opening round of the Class 5A state tournament at Lantow Field, turning a lighthearted wager into a moment she won’t soon forget.

With just under three minutes remaining, a blocked shot deflected into the left side of the box, where Roper found herself in the right place at the right time.

Without hesitation, she finished the play, sending the ball into the net for her first goal and triggering a celebration that was as much about the moment as it was about the meaning behind it.

Now, Kirkendall, a sophomore, owes her a dollar.

“I just tapped the ball, and I kicked it in,” Roper said. “I didn't expect it; I just kicked it. I wasn't really thinking, but it was really fast.

“Not yet,” she added when asked if she had collected on the debt yet. “I have to remind her.”

For Roper, a standout basketball player who recently signed with Central Arizona College, the goal was the culmination of a unique senior-season journey.

She hadn’t played soccer since sixth grade and joined the team this year simply to try something new and enjoy the experience.

Her role reflected that.

Roper has primarily served as an energy source off the bench, often playing limited minutes and sometimes only appearing in the final stretch of games.

“Sometimes we'll get in the last 10 minutes and just play our butts off and try to have fun,” Roper said. “And because we haven't played in so long, we just try not to be embarrassed about the thing.”

However, her impact has gone far beyond the stat sheet, and Monday’s goal was a perfect example.

With the outcome already decided, Roper’s moment became something bigger. Not just for her, but for the entire team.

It was a reward for embracing a new role, for showing up every day and for being a teammate first.

“It's crazy seeing that because we'll have people that I see myself in,” said Roper, who is used to doing most of the scoring during basketball season. “I'm like, ‘Oh, OK. This is how it is.’ And then you also see the other side of things. When you aren't that player and getting all that attention, you see what the other people go through. So I think it's kind of just taught me different perspectives, but I've enjoyed it the whole time.”

The goal also carried significance for Claremore’s younger players, who gained valuable postseason experience in the closing minutes, which is something coach Brent Crenshaw emphasized as critical for the program’s future.

“She's limited in her skills and what she knows, but she comes out and makes the locker room and practicing so much fun,” Crenshaw said. “She’s positive, and the girls respect that, so that was awesome to see her score a goal. Everybody has their role. Some people would be like Emma [Easton] and Avery [Roseberry] and those girls that have to play a lot. But then Asia and Autumn [Roper’s twin sister], have their roles, too, in different ways, which is good for the team.