By now it's no secret that Potsdam's Kaila Maguire is very fast.

Just ask competitors from last spring's Section 10 track and field meets, who often were half a track length behind when she finished a race.

While speed is an important part of Maguire's soccer game, it's not the only factor that led to her having a season worthy of being the Times Northern Athletic Conference Most Valuable Player.

Maguire, a senior who scored 26 goals and had 20 assists for Potsdam's 19-1-1 team, also worked hard over the years to improve her ball-control skills.

"A lot of the work I did over the summer at Clarkson soccer camps helped me a lot, too," said Maguire, who worked with men's coach Willi Steinrotter and women's coach Laurel Kane. "I just learned a different view of the game. I know from high school to college there is a big jump and they kind of showed me that jump and how I need to play."

Maguire's father, Mick, is the coach of Clarkson's swimming and diving teams, so she's grown up with a coaching background.

"She sees the commitment her father has to make and she is respectful and understands the effort that I make," said Potsdam coach Joe Stark.

Even though she was clearly his best player, Maguire also knew she was not above criticism from Stark. In fact, she knew one of her jobs as a team leader was to be ready to get more negative feedback than her teammates.

"She's competitive, yet coachable," Stark said. "Sometimes the older kids that are the better players, I'll push you harder than others, if you want to play after here. She understood that. It was never about work ethic, it was always a tactical thing."

Maguire joined the program late in her freshman year and was an impact player as early as her sophomore season.

"What we're going to miss more than anything is the way she carried herself as a leader," Stark said. "She gave confidence to the team. They felt as long as she was out there we had a chance of winning."

The team was also something special for Maguire.

"I think this team, just like last year's, we just bonded well together," Maguire said. "We didn't have a lot of seniors returning, but each of the seniors did a very good job of leading everyone. People who had been on the team in the past did a great job of helping the younger kids get a feel for the game and how varsity is played."