Achieving a Life-Long Dream: Kayla Ristianto '27

ITHACA, N.Y. — Playing soccer at the national level has always been a dream for Cornell women’s soccer sophomore defender Kayla Ristianto.

After being invited to a couple of United States Youth National Team clinics as a 15- and 16-year-old, Ristianto realized there was a real possibility of playing for a national team. She wasn’t sure if it was going to be for the United States or Indonesia, where both of her parents grew up before immigrating to America for their collegiate studies before starting their family of five, which includes Kayla, her older sister, Zasca, and younger brother, Razi.

Ristianto’s life-long goal of playing for a national team came to fruition this past summer when she received the call to honor her Indonesian heritage and play on Indonesia’s Women’s National Soccer Team in a pair of friendlies against Hong Kong this past July.

“If anyone in their athletic career gets to be called up for a national team, it's obviously a big deal,” Ristianto said, “but for me, it just felt more surreal. Indonesia has always been a part of my home. Even though I didn't grow up there, I was very grateful to experience it.”

Ristianto experienced a quick turnaround with earning the nomination for the Indonesian National Team as she was visiting a family friend in neighboring Singapore.

“I was in Jakarta for two weeks before I was actually called up,” she said. “I was in Singapore for the weekend visiting my mom's friend when I was called up. I flew out that night to go back to Jakarta, trained the next morning with the team, and got selected that day. The next morning, we flew out to Hong Kong. It was a very quick turnaround, but I really didn't have that much time to adjust. I was just thrown in there, but it was very exciting and obviously an opportunity that doesn't come twice.”

Hong Kong, which hosted both contests, came away with 3-2 and 4-1 victories over Indonesia, handing the country its first pair of losses in a international friendlies since dropping a pair of contests to Thailand in May of 2018.

Despite the results, the experience is what Ristianto will cherish forever and never take for granted.

“There was definitely nerves,” Ristianto stated. “There’s always a saying, ‘If you’re nervous, you care.’ I thought it was very special and an opportunity that nobody really gets ever.”

Receiving the call to play on the Indonesian Women’s National Soccer Team is one of her proudest moments of her soccer career so far. Paired with playing at the national level, another goal of Ristianto’s was having the chance to play Division I soccer.

“I feel like all the girls that go through club in American soccer, the end goal is to obviously play Division I soccer,” Ristianto said. “Getting to play Division I soccer at Cornell has been a big achievement of mine. I'm super grateful to be playing here. I love the campus, I love the people. It's been a great time and I'm really excited for the future.”

Upon receiving the call to the Indonesian National Team, Ristianto received numerous calls and text messages from her teammates, coaches, staff members, and even other student-athletes on campus. The outpouring support she received after earning the nod solidified what makes Cornell such a special place.

“That’s the special thing about Cornell,” she said. “I remember initially getting called up, my teammates, coaches, the staff, reached out to me, congratulating me, even my friends on different teams. Reaching out was special and feel like it attests to the Big Red community.”

Although just a sophomore on the Big Red women’s soccer team, Ristianto has already made an indelible impact on the team, earning the honor of being one of two sophomores to this year’s leadership council. Along with the pair of sophomores, two juniors are also named to the leadership council and work in coordination with the trio of captains — seniors Ava Laden, Maddie Leroy, and Cecily Pokigo — to help lead the entire program for the season.

“Going into this season, we've set a goal to qualify for the Ivy League Tournament, and we've been striving [to finish in the top four of the Ivy League] this season,” Ristianto said. “Personally, for me, I feel like being a good teammate and setting a standard, especially for the freshmen, is really important for me and the team.”

Setting a standard for the freshmen class is one of the reasons why Ristianto was voted by her teammates to be one of two sophomores to this year’s leadership council.

“She’s very positive, outgoing, bubbly, happy personality,” Ferguson said. “Those are infectious and traits you want around the team. I think the teammates looked at her when they made those votes, and I’m sure those things stood out.

“On the field, work rate is excellent and top-notch. She’ll put her body on the line. She’s undersized for a player at this level, but it’s not recognizable because of the intensity and commitment she has.”