SALT LAKE CITY – A premiere women’s soccer team from Utah recently returned from a trip to Chile, where they competed against professional teams and won.
The members of La Roca Football Club's under 18 team returned form Chile recently, and they spoke with FOX 13 News while practicing at Woodward Park in Layton.
Francisco, “Poncho”, Ovalle is the head coach of the team, and he spoke about his players.
“It’s a unique team,” he said. “A lot of people have the same opinion, a unique team in Utah… doesn’t matter if you win or lose the game, but they are playing good soccer.”
Some of these players have been playing under Poncho since they were 7-years-old, and the under 18 team has won four state championships. They went to Chile to play in the Santiago Cup against professional soccer players. They won the competition.
Madison Siddoway is on the team, and she spoke about the trip.
“I remember when we first walked into the ceremony, and people were wanting to come take pictures with us because we were USA,” she said. “I think the neatest thing was we represented something so much bigger than ourselves, and that was a really big honor."
Siddoway said she appreciates that her success has come at a price.
“My parents are divorced, I live with my mom, and before when I was younger, she just had to drive me back and forth, and it was a huge sacrifice,” she said. “And for my family, for money, it's been a really big sacrifice for not just my parents but my brothers to be able to play with La Roca, but I have to say in the end it's just been totally worth it."
Players who spoke with FOX 13 News said their team is like they family.
“We are a family because we've had victories together, I mean, amazing times like this, and we've had hard times, we've had losses, and we've had to fight together and sweat and cry together, and after that’s all said and done: We've been able to be really victorious together, individually and collectively as a team,” Siddoway said.
