ALPINE, Utah — Tucked away on a soccer field in Alpine, a group of high school girls soccer players is practicing a drill over and over again.
One pass after the other and then a shot on goal. Each time, the girls support each other with a high five or a comment of encouragement.
For one of the players, Katherine Mason, there’s nothing that she’d rather be doing. She said she loves the sport, but more importantly, she loves the people she plays on the pitch with day in and day out. “If I don’t play soccer every day, then it feels like something's missing,” she said. “I just love that it’s a team sport; I love playing with a team.”
Not only has she been playing soccer since before kindergarten, but she’s been on the Spurs for years.
Her teammate Eilley Baker agrees — soccer is one of the most important things in her life. “It takes a weight off my shoulders when I’m playing, and it makes me feel free,” Baker said.
So as the 2026 FIFA World Cup continues to unfold, there are communities of soccer teams in Utah that aim to thrive on and off the field like the Spurs.
Not only are the girls excited to watch the pros for inspiration, but also to watch the games together. “It’s a sport that unites everyone together,” Breanna Villegas, one of the players on the Spurs, said.
For these girls, they’re not only helping each other score goals on the field but also off the field. They do service projects together and make vision boards to help them focus on all aspects of life and not just soccer. At the end of their practices, the players give a positive compliment to each of their teammates as a way of building each other up.
“I love everyone on my team. I never think when I pass to them they’re gonna lose it. I just have so much trust in them,” Zimmerman said.
Their coach, Danny Mason, said it’s important to help the girls lead in kindness and character; it will spill into soccer, which is an unselfish game.
“One of the things that sets us apart is that if you watch us in games, the way they’ll run for each other and they will look out for each other,” Mason said. “We have a motto to play brave and have no regrets, where you show for each other and 90+ percent of your runs are unselfish.”
And it has spilled into the girls' soccer skills — all of their work has paid off. “Right now, on paper, we’re number one in Utah. We won state cup. We actually had a three-peat this year; it’s our third time winning it,” Baker said.
They’re also regional champions. And soon, the girls will head to the next big tournament in Tennessee to fight for the national title. But for many of them, their eyes are set on their futures to play professionally and in college.
