Having a player that can do multiple things is more than an asset for a soccer team.

As is the case for the Bayfield High School girls soccer team where the Wolverines sit nicely in first place in the Class 3A Region 5 League.

Much of the early success stems from goalkeeper-turned-surprise goal-scoring forward and sophomore Savannah Kaufmann.

Last season Kaufmann suited up as goalkeeper, but Bayfield head coach Jen Zelinski decided to move Kaufmann to offense for added pressure.

With Kaufmann’s emergence, goalkeeping quickly became a crowded position at Bayfield.

Junior Kailee Millard was the usual suspect for the Wolverines prior to Kaufmann, so having two good athletes at net posed a good problem for Zelinski.

“(Kaufmann) can produce, she has composure,” said Zelinski, who is in her 10th year as head coach of the Wolverines. “Because she’s played goalkeeper, she knows how to play the ball. That contributes to her experience playing in the goal.”

Both Kaufmann and Millard were comparable at the net, but Kaufmann’s speed in the open field propelled her to the offense since Zelinski could get more usage out of two talented players.

“She likes playing on the field, but does miss goalkeeper,” said Zelinski. “She’s a coachable player who can play anywhere. Whatever I tell her to do, she can do it. She’s an athlete, she’s skilled and talented. When she gets the ball at her feet, she knows what to do with it, and that’s hard to come by.”

So far, Kaufmann has made the transition look easy. She leads Bayfield (6-1-1, 5-0-1 3A Region 5 League) with six goals including a four-goal performance in a 4-0 win over Crested Butte on April 8.

When Kaufmann was in second grade, her family moved from Sarasota, Florida to Bayfield. That was the time frame in which she was introduced to soccer.

The daughter of Chris and Melissa, Kaufmann grew up playing with friends and was eventually asked to play on the Durango Youth Soccer Association (DYSA) in sixth grade.

There, coaches realized her natural talent for playing multiple positions.

Goalkeeper was her choice up until this year when she switched from blocking goals to scoring them.

“To me, it’s a totally different mental training,” said Kaufmann. “I know how a striker will shoot when I’m playing goalkeeper, and I’ll think about what angles to be in. I’ll practice and visualize how they’ll shoot and practice diving instead of field work.”

“While at striker, I think about where the goalkeeper is going to be, and if I were a goalkeeper where I would be in the position of shooting. So I practice my shots a lot more.”

Kaufmann, 16, misses the feeling of blocking a good shot, being “the last hope” as she put it. She prepared differently this year from previous seasons, and the practice has paid off.

“I really like the feeling of a successful pass or a successful cross,” said Kaufmann. “The feeling of getting the ball in the back of the net is one of the best feelings in the world.”

She looks up to former U.S. Women’s National team captain, Abby Wambach, because of the way she played and how she interacted with her teammates.

“She’s an inspirational player and every little girl looks up to her,” said Kaufmann of her role model. “Wambach doesn’t just focus on soccer, she focuses on equal rights and equal pay.”

While soccer came naturally, Kaufmann’s dynamics go well beyond the soccer field.

According to Zelinski, Kaufmann is a quiet leader on the field. But off the field, Kaufmann lets loose.

“She’s fun with a great sense of humor,” said Zelinski. “She’ll sing for the team.”

That’s right. Not only can she play goalkeeper and forward, but she can sing, too. And play six different instruments.

Kaufmann also boasts a 4.0 grade point average, and plays in an alternative/pop rock band that Kaufmann describes as “beach rock.”

Her main instrument is the guitar–ranging from acoustic, electric to even bass. She also plays the drums, piano, tenor saxophone, clarinet and ukulele, and she’s been writing her own music since the age of eight.

She’s confident, as she should be. She uses her time wisely and has big plans for after high school.

“I’m not quite sure about college, I would rather travel,” said Kaufmann. “But if I had a soccer scholarship I would play. My main thing is music and that’s what I see myself doing right now.”

When she was little, her mom, who played guitar, taught her some chords. Suffice it to say, Kaufmann picked it up fast.

Kaufmann has taken a passion to learning more, whether it be learning multiple instruments, the art of singing or making the transition between two positions on the soccer field.

“I learn as an athlete, as a student and as a musician,” said Kaufmann. “I can do more things. I don’t want to be just an average soccer player or an average musician, I want to go somewhere with it.”

jmentzer@durangoherald.com