Overland Park, KS -- Abby Vestal, a senior at Lawrence High School, Lawrence, Kan. signed a national letter-of-intent to play soccer at Johnson County Community College, and signed a professional contract to be the kicker for the Kansas Koyotes, a four-time champion of the American Professional Football League last Friday afternoon.
Vestal joins a college soccer program that finished 18-1-2 and was ranked seventh in the NJCAA season ending poll. She was recruited by the Kansas Koyotes for her dead-on kicking accuracy.
Vestal made history Saturday night, kicking three extra points while helping the Koyotes to a 27-20 overtime win against the Iowa Blackhawks in their season opener at the Kansas Expocentre in Topeka, Kan. She is the first full-time woman player on a men’s APFL professional football team and may be the first woman to play on a men’s professional football team. Other women have played as amateurs on men’s college teams, semi-pro teams and on professional women’s football teams. A few have even gone into professional men’s games as publicity stunts. While research is still going on, it appears that Vestal may be the first woman to ever sign to a men’s professional football team.
Vestal has been a standout soccer player at Lawrence High School. As a junior, she garnered Kansas Class 6A second-team All-State accolades. This year, she earned McPherson Tournament MVP honors after scoring four goals in a win over Andover Central, and a goal in the championship win over Salina Central.
Her junior year, Vestal joined the boy’s football team at the invitation of Lion’s coach Dirk Wedd, when the team lost its regular season kicker and he searched the soccer fields for a replacement. Making her high school team was no publicity stunt. She had to earn her position on one of the most storied football programs in the state. The LHS Lions have won more state championships than any other school in Kansas and lead the nation in undefeated seasons with 31. Last fall, her senior year, she hit 34-of-37 point after attempts, and four field goals, including a season-long of 38 yards.
http://www.6newslawrence.com/news/2007/apr/20/lhs_senior_signs_college_professional_athletics/http://www.49abcnews.com/news/2007/apr/20/high_school_kicker_signs_koyotes/ 
