CEDAR CITY, Utah - When Kai Edwards took the reins of the Southern Utah University soccer program back in 2019, there were only two girls from the state of Utah on the roster. Fast forward two and a half years, and that number is now over eight times what it was upon Edwards' arrival, with 17 out of 32 players on SUU's roster hailing from the beehive state, including eight out of the 11 players in this year's freshman class.

"With this group, I felt like it was important to have a base of Utah kids within the program, while also maintaining a high degree of diversity," said Edwards. "When I got here, we only had two in-state players on the team, and now we have 17, combined with players from California, Washington, Arizona, Sweden, and Canada, among other regions. I think our program has the perfect level of in-state and out-of-state diversity within it."

Recruiting has been anything but simple for Edwards and his staff since the head coach's arrival. With the COVID-19 pandemic coming into full force just three months after Edwards was hired, the majority of players he has brought in were primarily recruited through video and phone calls. 

"Due to COVID, we were not even allowed to recruit off campus until June 2021; so, when I first got here, we had to do all recruiting by video for the first year, which presented a uniquely difficult challenge. Most of our freshman class this year was recruited completely through video. We talked to a lot of people we trusted; and, through connections in the soccer world in Utah, we were able to put together a phenomenal class with a strong base of Utah kids."

In-state recruiting will continue to be an emphasis for Edwards going forward, as the quality of high school and club soccer players and competition has continued to improve within the beehive state over the past decade, and is at a point where high-level talent can be found throughout the entire state. 

"There are enough talented kids here in Utah, and there aren't enough colleges. There are now eight or more clubs in Utah that play in national leagues; whereas, there was only one a few years ago. With that, there is a lot more exposure for Utah soccer. A lot of our players played in club tournaments in Texas, California, Arizona, and other places, where they were exposed to players who might end up in the Pac-12, Big-12, and Big Ten, which is great for their development."

Edwards has a lot of familiarity with California soccer, as he grew up in the Southern California region and spent a lot of time coaching in Northern California; but, he thinks that Utah, and more specifically the Salt Lake region, has the potential to be one of the best recruiting hubs for women's soccer in the western region of the United States. 

"I have a lot of connections within the Salt Lake area, and some of the best players that I have ever recruited came from that region. Having the ability to recruit players within 100-200 miles of you is a great asset for our program, and we have continued to build our connections in the area, which has really paid off for us. I get calls all the time now from club and high school coaches in Utah, and we are starting to get those calls very early on now, which helps a lot. You cannot recruit by yourself in this day and age; connections are crucial to recruiting at a very high level."

This year's freshman class has the potential to be one of the best in SUU soccer history, as it is loaded with talent across the board. Many of the 2022 recruiting class chose to commit to the Southern Utah soccer program over offers from a variety of other schools, including four-time All-State performer and the 2021 5A Utah High School Women's Soccer Player of the Year, Sammie Sofonia, who chose SUU over offers from Seattle U, Cal State Fullerton, and Weber State.

"Kai and Steven were a huge reason why I committed to SUU," said Sofonia. "I came down here to visit, and after I talked with them, I thought I would be a great fit for the program, and I really wanted to play for them. SUU was also an ideal distance from home for me; I didn't want to go out of state, but I also didn't want to only be 30-45 minutes away from home, so Cedar City was the perfect location. My mom and my grandmother are my biggest supporters, so it means so much to me to be able to play for a great program and also be close enough for them to drive to see all of my home games."

Not only has Edwards worked to bring in some of the top high school talents within the state of Utah, but he has also brought in some impact transfer players from the beehive state, who originally began their respective college careers out of state. This year's transfer class was highlighted by Kiki Stewart. Stewart is originally from St. George but spent the first three years of her college career playing soccer for Arizona State before opting to return to her home state to compete for the Thunderbirds this season. 

Stewart cited multiple factors that played into her decision to transfer to Southern Utah, but one of her primary reasons was being able to play closer to home, so her family could see all of her games.

"It's such a different feeling being able to play close to home, and it's so awesome that my friends and family will be able to come to all the home games, and it's a very quick drive for them to get here. Being so close to home also gives me a sense of pride and really motivates me to succeed and to be a role model to younger girls who I know in the area that want to play college soccer and compete at this level."

Stewart also mentioned the opportunity to play for Edwards and the strong academics that Southern Utah provides as other notable reasons for her decision to make the move to Southern Utah.

"I was looking to come back to Utah, and I saw that Kai was the coach. I knew him from club, so that level of familiarity was important to me, and it means so much to me to be able to compete for a coach that I know in the area where I grew up and to have the opportunity to pursue a Master's Degree from a great school."

With a diverse roster of players from a variety of locations, which includes a lot of newcomers combined with a solid core of returning players, Edwards and the program have put a strong emphasis on coming together as a unit throughout training camp thus far ahead of the team's first contest on August 18. Although the Thunderbirds are only one week into training, returning player Whitney Wangsgard, who came to SUU from Grantsville, Utah, thinks that the team is already coming together incredibly well, and that special things could be in store for them this season. 

"Sometimes, it is difficult with a whole new group of girls; but, we worked hard this offseason to build chemistry so that when camp started, we could hit the ground running," said Wangsgard. "This group is incredibly talented, and we all really like and enjoy playing with each other, and it's just a really fun group. I can't wait to see what we can accomplish together this year."

Expectations and excitement are the highest that they have been under Edwards' time at the helm of the SUU soccer program, as this year's roster is arguably the strongest on paper since the program's inception. Southern Utah will also be entering their first year competing in a strong and deep Western Athletic Conference. The Thunderbirds will begin their non-conference portion of the season with a three-game trip to Mississippi beginning on August 18. The T-Birds will play their first home contest  on August 25 against UTEP, and will have their first conference match on September 16, when they will host UTRGV.

Follow Us

For all the latest on Southern Utah Soccer, follow @SUUSoccer on Twitter and Instagram, and like the Southern Utah Soccer Facebook page.