In Others' Words: How Tough is Laura Rayfield?

When senior defender Laura Rayfield transferred to OU last season, she brought an element of toughness that was exactly what the soccer program needed. That quickly spread to the rest of the squad and helped spark the Sooners to one of their best seasons in program history. We asked head coach Matt Potter and Laura's teammates to explain just how tough she is.

Head Coach Matt Potter

“She brought kind of a hardness and enforcer mentality that we really needed at that point in time (when she transferred to OU last season) because at times we would bow down to the pressure of our opponent. So she really became that kind of leader, that destroyer if you like, that enforcer, who not only could take care of herself but could take care of her teammates.

“She's tough minded, she's tough spirited, but she's a softie inside. But I think that is also her biggest strength. She recognizes that there can be a vulnerability to her. But once she tells everybody else when it's time to go, it's go time. And when it's time to be softer, then she can be that, too. And I think that's credit to her for understanding herself.”

Potter on Rayfield

Senior Forward Devin Barrett

“It's huge. You have moments in games where you might be up a goal or down a goal and you kind of need that one bone-crunching tackle or something like that just to get the team on the same page again. So to have that coming out of our back line, it's a huge, huge thing because sometimes you just need someone to step up, make a tackle, get everyone on the same page, and seeing that on the field, it kind of sparks a reaction for the rest of the team to get back on the same page and get going again.

“It's kind of like you think you've brought her down type thing, but she just comes back swinging again and again and again. She usually will always, well not against me, she will usually win. That's Laura. She's tough. She never really backs down from anybody. I don't think she'll meet someone that she wouldn't go against or wouldn't step up to.

“She's very tough. The second toughest on the team compared to me.”

Junior Forward Caren Nelson

“The first time I saw her, I was like 'wow, she means business.' But it's great to have her on the field and obviously to have her play on our team against other teams. She makes us better with how aggressive she plays. She is definitely a leader on the field for us. She sets the tone with her physicality. On the field, she shows the other team that we are not here to be pushed around. She's been awesome.

“It's fun to see her get into it with other teams, but at the same time, during practice she makes us better. You want to play against the best, and I think Laura is a great player, so when I play against her, I am ready for the other team's defense.

“She's tough as nails, I would say. She's pretty awesome. She's very physical. If I were to pick someone to go into battle with, it would be Laura.”

Nelson on Rayfield

Sophomore Forward Chelsea Jackson

“First of all, every time she goes into a tackle on the field, you can hear people on the sideline kind of hold their breath because it's going to be a hard tackle. You don't really know what's going to come out of it. We think that's a very tough side of her because of how physical she is on the field. For me personally, I don't go into tackles with her because I am not trying to come out injured.”

Junior Midfielder Jemma Cota

“I don't remember what game it was, but Laura is a defender and she had someone coming at her at full pace and Laura just went full body in and tackled her and the girl fell to the ground and didn't get back up. She started crying and it was pretty great because it just motivated us all to do better and it pumped us up and we got excited off of that and she keeps momentum going for our team.”

Junior Defender Ayana O'Neal

“Laura is tough and she sets the tone, so when Laura goes in hard for a tackle and has one of their strongest players crying, our whole team can get up and say, 'OK, let's do this.' And it starts the war when she tackles hard. It lifts our team up and motivates us to all be tough.”

Freshman Defender/Midfielder Paige Welch

“It's crazy. She goes out with such intensity. I really get to see that close up because she plays on one side of me and she just goes and tackles and she goes with intent and wins them (the battle). It's scary – I am definitely glad she is on my team for sure. It motivates us. It sets the standard high. It gives us something to aspire to.”

Ressler on Rayfield

Junior Forward Liz Keester

“Laura Rayfield is one of the toughest I've seen. She comes to practice with a 'don't mess with me' attitude and works her hardest. As a forward coming up against her, it's really challenging. You've always got to have your shin guards on and your cleats tied tight because you know it's going to be a battle.”

Sophomore Defender Madeline Brem

“Last year when we played OSU, there was a point in the game when the girl was trying to get around Laura and she wasn't about to have it, so she just pulled her down to the ground. Basically, it made the other team and their crowd angry and it just got us energized and ready to play.”

Junior Defender Rachel Ressler

“Basically, Laura is our go-to girl when we need someone to knock someone on their butt and get the team going in a game.”