Escaping From Sport: How Kierra Blundell found herself during an injury

(Photo: Connor Gleason/WCSN)

Stevie Nicks sang “Well, I’ve been ‘fraid of changin’, ’cause I’ve built my life around you” in Fleetwood Mac’s hit song, “Landslide.”

The slow, melancholic, yet hopeful song represents the uncertainty of life’s challenges. Many athletes relate to its message when they face injury or start a new chapter. Others enjoy its rhythm and learn to play the notes on the guitar. 

ASU soccer’s third-year forward Kierra Blundell has done both. 

A foot injury sidelined Blundell for most of her second year. She was distraught and struggled after building her life around soccer, but that time’s uncertainty welcomed her to a new hobby. 

“KB brings the guitar down when we go down to the beach in the preseason,” head coach Graham Winkworth said. “We’ll have a sing-song around the campfire.”

She didn’t grow up plucking the strings, but she needed something to occupy herself when she couldn’t play soccer. After buying an acoustic, she became so invested that an electric guitar is now her escape.

“If I hadn’t got injured, I wouldn’t have found that,” Blundell said. “So, It’s been really cool.” 

“Landslide” is her favorite song to play because of its calmness. And the song represents her in more ways than one. 

Blundell led the team in goals her first year, en route to becoming the Big 12 Freshman of the Year. The Canadian’s career was at a high before a sudden landslide came crashing down.

Ahead of her second year, she was honored on the Big 12 Preseason Team but only played 189 minutes. She had to do exactly what the song illustrates: release who she once was because of new challenges. 

Blundell didn’t receive a clear diagnosis, so a recovery timeline was unknown.

“The biggest thing for me was: I have literally no idea when I’m gonna be back, and that was really hard for me,” Blundell said.

Winkworth noted that his star player struggled emotionally at first, but thanks to her support system – her parents, sister, teammates and coaches – she was able to return to a favorable mental position. 

“I just missed playing soccer with my friends,” Blundell said.

Stevie Nicks was struggling with anxiety and wrote “Landslide.” Within a year, Mick Fleetwood invited her and her partner Lindsey Buckingham to join the famous band, Fleetwood Mac. 

It’s a story of ascending after a challenging chapter. Blundell did the same. 

She has always adored coaching, whether it was for children or as a vocal leader to her teammates. Since she couldn’t score goals herself, she needed to find a way to help others and the team succeed.

“They’re on the field, they’re going 100 miles an hour, but when you take a step off the field and kind of look at the big picture, you can help your teammates a lot more ways than you think,” Blundell said.

Winkworth ratified Blundell’s ability to help her teammates, saying that she is a “positive teammate.” The coach and player often have exchanges about Liverpool – Blundell’s favorite team – and Winkworth said she has a higher IQ for the game because of it.

“She’s got a soccer brain, so she’s able to help out the other forwards,” Winkworth said. 

Blundell’s leadership style is to say it how it is; she believes people will get better if they receive blunt feedback rather than sugarcoating things. She also encourages her teammates in times when the pressure feels high, and she wants her teammates to uphold the program’s standards. 

“I want my teammates to be honest with me, ‘say, KB, let’s be better today,’” Blundell said. 

But when she unwinds at night after training, it’s about becoming a better guitarist. As a music lover, she uses tunes to escape from the pressure of being a collegiate athlete. However, now that she is healthy, there’s more than one escape, and the others are highly competitive. 

Long before Blundell and fourth-year midfielder Emmie Ennis were scoring goals in the maroon and gold, they were dropping dimes and scoring buckets in high school basketball. An Instagram montage from 2024 shows Blundell’s high-level ability to put points on the scoreboard.

She humbly answered whether or not any of her current teammates could guard her on the hardwood, but Winkworth had no problem making his pick. 

“I’m guessing KB would be more dangerous around the net. I think she’d be good in those one-v-one situations around the net and score the points, just like she does on the soccer field,” he said. “But … if the game was longer, I think Emmie would wear her down with her endurance and have a good all-around play. So short game, KB; long game, maybe Emmie.”

Even though the answer to who would win may never come, Winkworth and Blundell agreed that playing basketball makes soccer players better defenders. From footwork and tactical decisions to relentlessness and endurance, the sports correlate. 

Winkworth believes that athletes should absolutely play multiple sports. His two kids play flag football, even though his wife notes that other kids their age do extra individual soccer training.

“I think that sometimes American sports are so focused on making one person at 10, 11, 12 years old focus on just one sport,” Winkworth said. “You kind of take away a little bit of the joy, and it’s a lot more pressure on the kids.

“I don’t think that really helps them mentally or physically. So, it’s the same at the collegiate level.”

How about another sport to play recreationally?

The Sun Devil soccer team may be able to compete at some local pickleball tournaments. Blundell mentioned that third-year forward Sierra Bergen is the best player by far and could be a professional.

However, Winkworth wants a coach-versus-player contest against Blundell.

“I’m still waiting for the match, and I’m gonna kick her rear end.”

That friendly banter and competitive nature are a focus for Winkworth, his staff and the team. The roster turnover in the current college sports landscape is shocking to Winkworth, and he knows how important it is to build culture every year. 

“It’s very difficult for older players to lead the younger players, because often they’re gone,” Winkworth said. “We’re very fortunate that we’ve got a good leadership crew.”

Blundell finds herself in that group. She has stayed loyal to Arizona State, being one of only four players on the current roster to have spent three or more years as a Sun Devil. 

It started when Winkworth spectated one of her practices at Christine Sinclair Community Centre in Burnaby, British Columbia, while rain poured. Winkworth, an English native but longtime Arizona resident, was freezing. 

The young Blundell struck a ball with her right foot into the top corner from long distance, making Winkworth look twice. Five minutes later, she scored with her left foot.

“I want that one,” Winkworth said to his staff. 

Blundell visited a few colleges, but it was always Arizona State. Her parents told her she’d be making the worst decision of her life if she picked a different school. Needless to say, she believes Tempe is the right place for her.

“What’s not to love about Arizona State, right? So, yeah, I think it was an easy decision,” Blundell said.

Three seasons, 2869 minutes, 17 goals and multiple career accolades later, Blundell has found a home, and she isn’t finished yet.

The goal-scoring threat may be able to play two more years with the NCAA’s new 5-in-5 rules, which would let her chase more goals. Winning Big 12 Freshman of the Year meant so much to her, but missing most of her second year created a new hunger that led to a Big 12 First-Team selection in 2026. 

Through the celebrations and the agony, Blundell stays forward-facing. And in that agony, she found a new side to herself that will last a lifetime. 

“Injuries suck,” Blundell said. “But it’s what you do after them that defines the person and the player that you are.”

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