TJC signs Kayla Mason, new coach

Just two days after signing its first player, Whitehouse's Kayla Mason, the Tyler Junior College women's soccer team acquired its first coach.

Corey M. Rose, presently head women's soccer coach at Belhaven College in Jackson, Miss., accepted the position last Thursday.

During Rose's five seasons at Belhaven, the women's soccer team has won 30, lost 35 and tied 4 matches. During that span, the women's soccer team has held a 3.0 grade-point average or better.

In 2004, Rose was named the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference Coach of the Year after finishing the season with a 7-1 mark. Rose also served as an adjunct faculty member at Belhaven, teaching in the sports administration department.

On Tuesday, TJC's intercollegiate athletic department announced the signing of Ladycat Kayla Mason, the first official signing for TJC's new women's soccer program.

The Apache women's soccer team will join Region XIV to compete with rivals Lon Morris College, Navarro College and Bossier Parrish Community College, in Louisiana next fall.

"Kayla has come highly recommended to us by a number of local coaches," said Apache boys coach Steve Clements, who served as the interim women's coach before Rose was hired.

"We've seen her play in a couple of contests at Whitehouse. She's a good athlete, and I think it's a good first signing for Tyler Junior College, a local athlete, and I think that's a positive for our school and our program."

"It's very overwhelming, but I'm so excited," Mason said.

Mason plays sweeper for the Whitehouse LadyCats, who are currently involved in the Class 4A soccer playoffs. Mason roams the back part of the field, because she's all about defense -- even in basketball, where she was named this year's District 12-4A Defensive Player of the Year.

"Defense is definitely my favorite," said Mason, the daughter of Mike and Jill Mason. "I'm not a big scorer in either sport. I don't want to score. I know that sounds kind of weird, but defense wins ballgames and that's been my motto since I was little."

"My future in soccer is (much) better and brighter than basketball," she said.