The FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia and New Zealand 2023™ is days away and Kaiya Jota, a Marshall Fundamental Class of 2024 rising senior, has made the final cut and was named to the roster of the 2023 Women's World Cup Philippine National Team as a goalkeeper.

There was a lot of work and dedication put into making this happen. However, there are few surprises as Kaiya has an impressive resume of achievements. She has played on the Marshall Fundamental Girls Varsity Soccer Team beginning in her Freshman year. Her accomplishments include being a member of the 2022 and 2023 Mission Valley League (MVL) First Place Championship Teams, and the 2022 CIF Division V Championship Team. As an individual player in 2021, she was named MVL First Team Goalie; 2022 MVL First Team All-League; 2022 CIF All-Area Team; and 2023 MVL First Team Defensive Player of the Year.

As a Los Angeles Breakers FC player, Kaiya has a series of accomplishments. Most of her stats are not listed here. However, she was the first player to be invited to represent Los Angeles at the Elite Clubs National League Training in 2021. She was later named to the 2021 First Team All-Conference Southwest ECNL U15 Region and again in 2023, named to the ECNL Team for LA Breakers.

It was December 2022, when Kaiya made her International Debut for the Philippine Women’s National Team in Australia against Papua New Guinea. This included her participation in four training camps for the team in Orange County, Costa Rica, and Australia.

Born in Los Angeles County, Kaiya is the daughter of a Filipino father and an English mother, making her eligible to play for the United States, the Philippines, or England. She attended Daniel Webster Elementary School and joined the Eagle Family in 6th grade. Academically, she has been on the Principal’s Honor Roll all semesters as a Marshall Eagle, she is an AP Scholar and is a member of the National Honor Society. Following her 2024 graduation, Kaiya has plans to attend Stanford University and is committed to playing for the Stanford Women’s Soccer Team.

Congratulations Kaiya, we are so proud of you. The Marshall Fundamental Eagle Family!

Game one for the Philippines is scheduled on July 20th at 10:00 p.m. (PST) on Fox Sports News.

Photo credit: Jim Jota and Stanford Photo Shoot