Former Troy soccer players remember assistant coach after unexpected death
Former Troy assistant soccer coach Kayla Saager unexpectedly passed away last Wednesday at the age of 30.
Saager was married to Tulsa’s outside linebackers coach John Beckley and was pregnant with the couple’s first child, a daughter, who they named Sawyer.
Tulsa’s head coach Tre Lamb announced the team will honor Saager at its matchup against East Texas A&M.
“We’re going to honor her with a helmet sticker this week at our game,” Lamb said. “The family is definitely in our thoughts and prayers.”
Troy soccer also paid its respects to the former coach as it held a moment of silence pregame against Akron on Sunday. However, it is not only current Trojans remembering her, but also the players she coached.
One player remembers the care and determination Saager showed.
“We endured coaching changes together and four years of life and growth together,” said Lindsay LaRoche, a goalkeeper for the Trojans from 2020-2022. “We had a pregame handshake that we would do before every game, right before I took the field.
“No words needed; just a five-second handshake that gave me so much confidence before getting out there.
I knew how much she believed in me as a player and a captain. I didn't have a goalkeeper coach for most of my career, and Kayla had no experience in that part of the game, but she took the challenge head-on and became my goalkeeper coach.
“We accomplished an All-Conference Team award together.”
Saager took the challenge head-on by jumping into the drills herself, sharing her knowledge as a former player with the players she was coaching.
“Kayla was not a typical watch-from-the-sidelines coach,” said former goalkeeper Nittany Vega, who played for the Trojans from 2022-2025. “She was hands-on, always ready to demonstrate a drill or jump in for a scrimmage.
“She was fiercely competitive and deeply passionate about the game. I have many memories of her working with the other goalkeepers and me, always aiming to score.”
Saager not only put the effort in on the field but was also there for the girls off the field as a shoulder to lean on.
“Kayla was our coach but also a listening ear,” Vega said. “During her time at Troy, she was our support system, someone we could go to when we were struggling.
“Many of the girls, myself included, would go by the locker room just for a chat or to say hello between classes.”
LaRoche now understands the position Saager is in, as she is a graduate assistant coach at Bellarmine University.
“I hope everyone remembers who she truly was and the care and passion she had for the game and those around her,” LaRoche said. “As I stand here now, at the same point in life that she was in when we first met, I have a much deeper understanding of what she was going through and enduring as a young woman in the coaching world.
“The adversity faced, the late nights and early mornings, the selfless and thankless work that goes into each day. She always showed up ready to give her all and make the most of each day.”
Though Saager is no longer here, the lessons she taught and the memories made will live on.
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