The Hornets senior forward Amanda Gray always knew she could make an impact on the soccer field. All she needed was the opportunity to show it.

“I was basically waiting for a chance to prove myself to the coaches and to the team,” Gray said.

She got her chance this season when senior forward Kayelyn Satkowski suffered a season-ending knee injury in the spring. Satkowski led the team in scoring in 2006 with nine of the Hornets’ 30 goals and also racked up 21 total points. With over a quarter of the offense gone, Satkowski said the team “needed someone to step up.”

“We knew somebody would,” Hornets coach Randy Dedini said. “We just weren’t sure who it was going to be.”

With a starting position on the Hornet front line now open, Dedini decided to insert Gray at forward to start the season.

“I came in prepared and in shape,” Gray said. “I wanted to capitalize on my opportunity this year and just come in and show what I could do.”

The senior wasted little time in justifying Dedini’s decision, scoring a goal in the Hornets’ first game against Mount St. Mary’s. As the season progressed, Gray continued to contribute to the team. She scored the game-tying goal at UC Davis on Sept. 16 with less than 90 seconds left in the game, and scored goals twice that gave the Hornets the lead in a game.

“She’s definitely one of our biggest offensive threats up front,” said sophomore forward Danielle Holloway.

Overall, Gray has totaled five scores, second-best on the team, and 12 total points. Before this year, Gray had only three career goals and had not scored for the Hornets since Oct. 21, 2005. She also attempted 21 shots this year after a combined 17 tries over the last three seasons.

“Right now, she’s earned the starting position,” Dedini said. “She’s really blossomed.”

Gray, who is from Chino, has played soccer since she was 4. She said she never played any other sport. As a midfielder at Ruben S. Ayala High School in Chino Hills, Gray was named First-Team All-Sierra League twice. She scored 12 goals in her senior year and helped lead the team to a league championship.

She came to Sac State in 2004 and played well as a freshman, leading Dedini to believe Gray would be an impactful player for the Hornets.

“We always saw the potential in her. She’s always been a good athlete, a good runner,” Dedini said.

The next two seasons would prove to be unproductive for Gray, and she would play in only 23 of the Hornets’ 40 matches. She attempted just two shots in 2006 and did not start any of the 11 matches she played in.

“Every year we’d tell her, ‘we’re waiting for you to break out, we’re waiting for this to happen,'” Dedini said. “It just hadn’t happened the last few years for whatever reason.”

“I feel like I didn’t get much of an opportunity last year,” Gray said. “You can’t score if you’re not on the field.”

Gray said she came into this season with a more positive outlook and greater confidence and credits Dedini and new assistant coach Maureen Whitney for her self-assurance.

“(They) definitely believe in me a lot and it definitely boosted my confidence,” Gray said. “It’s just a really positive atmosphere.”

Gray’s new attitude helped her become a key player for the team this season, and Holloway said Gray is “the perfect person to fill the void” left by Satkowski’s absence.

“She’s really stepped up this year and she’s done a fantastic job,” Dedini said. “She’s playing relaxed rather than fearing making mistakes.”

Aside from being a focal point in the Hornets’ offense, Holloway said Gray is always “the center of our team’s talk.”

“You never have the awkward silence with her. She always keeps everyone pretty comfortable,” Holloway said.

“She’s open and not afraid to voice her opinions,” Dedini said.

Gray also spent a lot of time with her teammates off the field and said she has tried to socialize with everyone more this season.

“A team works better if they’re together off the field,” Gray said. “If you can hang out and enjoy each other’s company, it’s going to be a more pleasant time on the field.”

Her gregarious disposition is part of the reason why Gray said she wants to work with people and never be confined to a desk job after college.

“I’m pretty talkative and I’m energetic,” Gray said. “To sit for long periods of time would just drive me crazy.”

As for this season, Gray wants to win the Big Sky Conference championship to bring a successful end to her time at Sac State.

“It’s the culmination of my college career,” Gray said. “I want to go out with a bang.”

Fernando Gallo can be reached at [email protected]