Original air date: December 11th, 1992
The girls are drinking smoothies after jazzercise class when Ace enters, proud to have been made captain of the soccer team. Melody shows up to see the group after a band rehearsal. Ace takes the smoothie Starlight ordered and offers it to Melody, but Melody has to go work out, so Ace drinks it instead, then gives the empty glass back to Starlight and leaves with Patch for soccer practice. Starlight is upset that Ace won't give her the time of day when she likes him, and ponders maybe she needs to change herself.
At soccer practice, Starlight compliments Ace's skills, but he takes no notice. To make matters worse, he gets distracted by Melody while kicking the ball, causing him to kick it into mud that splashes all over Starlight, which he laughs at.
Starlight goes to Miss Hackney for advice, and her teacher suggests she try out for the soccer team to get closer to Ace. Starlight proves to be excellent at soccer, which embarrasses Ace, who kicks Starlight to the ground to keep her from dribbling the ball around him. She runs away crying, and Patch kicks the ball at Ace, giving him a red mark on the snout. Starlight is lamenting at the lake when Patch finds her and happily informs her that she made the team.
At the game, one player injures her ankle, so Starlight takes her place, despite Ace's objections. Starlight proceeds to score the winning goal, prompting Ace to storm off. He later apologizes to her at her ice cream shop, and the duo engage in a conversation about Starlight's technique, and Ace suggests they practice together on Saturday.
"Just for Kicks" provides examples of:
- All Love Is Unrequited: Starlight has a crush on Ace, who's far more interested in Melody.
- A Twinkle in the Sky: In the Dark Reprise, Starlight’s Imagine Spot has her fall into a pit, her fall ending with one of these. The star remains for the next set piece of that, the points bursting a hot air balloon.
- Call-Back: After the previous episode established that Miss Hackney is Starlight's personal advisor, the latter asks the former for advice on getting Ace to take notice of her, with the same understanding between them that their conversations are to remain secret.
- Changing Yourself for Love: Starlight tries to get into sports to get Ace to like her. Ace is too narcissistic to pay attention.
- Circling Birdies: Stars and planets circle Ace's head after Patch kicks the soccer ball at his face.
- Covered in Gunge: Ace trips over while kicking the ball and it splashes mud all over Starlight.
- Dark Reprise: "The Perfect Pair" has one when Starlight decides that she and Ace just might not be the perfect pair, and imagery from the first instance of the song reappears in an unhappier context.
- I Was Beaten by a Girl: Ace doesn't take it well when Starlight scores the winning goal.
- Leave the Two Lovebirds Alone: When Ace shows up to talk to Starlight, Patch escorts Bon Bon away to give the duo some privacy.
- Lost Aesop: Starlight joins the soccer team hoping to impress Ace, but he keeps humiliating her out of jealousy towards her natural skill. She goes on to score the winning goal, Ace storms off in a huff, and her friends are thrilled for her, so it seems like an episode about trying new things, but Starlight laments that she only joined the team in the first place to get Ace's attention. This makes the moral seem like "stay true to yourself and don't try to fit another person's ideal.", and it could be if Ace didn't show up in the episode's final minute to ask Starlight out for a forced happy ending.
- Love Triangle: Starlight wants Ace, but Ace wants Melody.
- Nasal Trauma: After Ace makes Starlight run away crying, Patch kicks the soccer ball right at his nose. Ouch!
- Shout-Out:
- Torch Song: "Perfect Pair" is about Starlight liking Ace, who doesn't return the feelings.
- You Go, Girl!: Starlight pulls through and makes the winning goal for the team, much to Ace's dismay.
- You Say Tomato: Upon hearing the word "metabolism" for the first time, Bon Bon pronounces it as "metabolobolism".
