For the Cottonwood girls soccer team, the question was never if it would find its form according to head coach Bryce Harvest, but when. 

“We are right on target for our preseason goals at the moment,” said coach Harvest after the Colts took a 3-1 home victory against Cyprus, their first on the season. 

Cottonwood [1-2] had a rough start right out of the gates, losing at home 3-0 to Bear River Aug. 7 when the visitors blasted two goals before halftime to stun the home crowd. 

At Highland, a day later on Aug. 8, the Colts again got hammered in the first half, this time for three goals and never regained their composure in a 5-0 defeat. 

But, on Aug. 13 against Cyprus and at home in front of a good crowd, the Colts scored their first goals of the season and had three goals on the afternoon—their best and only scoring output of the season. 

Again, that’s something the Cottonwood head coach said he and the rest of the staff were anticipating having such a young, inexperienced squad that is only dressing three seniors at the moment. 

“The girls are having a hard time adjusting to the new style of play we have implemented but the coaching staff has seen bright flashes in our game,” said Harvest, who remains optimistic that the Colts will continue to turn things around. 

The team is getting its scoring in a variety of ways from three different players. Senior Lulu Vernon got her first of the year against Cyprus; she bagged 10 goals and had two assists as a junior. 

In addition to the goal from Lulu Vernon, two sophomores scored their first goals for the Colts. Sophie Vernon and Taylor Young each tallied for Cottonwood. 

For these Colts, they’ll have a few preseason games sprinkled in with their usual Region 10 matchups. 

By the time you read this, Cottonwood will have had a game at Jordan on Aug. 19 and hosted Park City Aug. 21 in a Region 10 showdown. That will be followed by a non-league home game against Spring Creek [Nevada] on Aug. 23. 

Then on Aug. 26 the Colts will be back on the road for a Region 10 game at Tooele and will play at Taylorsville in a rare night game at 7 p.m. on Aug. 27. 

After a short Labor Day break, the Colts will have two Region 10 games every week. Starting with a home game against Murray on Sept. 3 and Sept. 5 at Stansbury, they plan to be halfway to their postseason goal, according to Harvest. 

The 2024-25 Cottonwood girls soccer team is Elli Galkin, Ava Halvorsen, Sophie Yates, Taylor Young, Ajamaika Ahmad, Alyssa Julian, Jocelyn Meneses, Piper Wilking, Olivia Pendleton, Sophie Vernon, Lulu Vernon, Lauren Riddle, Nicole Nelson, Gisel Oxlaj, Janet Cortez, Itzia Lopez, Mia Liljenquist, Alba Ruiz, Kayla Larsen, Leisel Merten, Atonella Diaz, Cindy Mendez and Arya Patel. λ