AURORA -- When the United States Women’s National Soccer Team kicks off action at the 2024 Summer Olympics, they’ll do so with three different Coloradans on the roster, with Lindsey Horan, Mallory Swanson and Sophia Smith all hailing from the Centennial State.
 
Only California, home to seven members of the USWNT, boasts more. Even then though, Colorado has a population one-eighth of California’s, and, as a result, comfortably leads all states in terms of the number of USWNT players per capita.
 
When broadening the scope to all NCAA Division I women’s soccer players, Colorado ranks third in the nation in players produced per capita, as of 2020, with 4.5 NCAA DI women’s soccer players for every 100,000 residents.
 
One popular explanation is the state’s athletic environment and competitive atmosphere.
 
“Colorado, in general, is built for people with outdoor and active lifestyles,” Theresa Echtermeyer, the Mountain Vista girls soccer head coach, high school coach of Mallory Swanson, and the director of Real Colorado’s recreational soccer program suggested. “I mean, the culture here in Colorado is about sports and outdoor activities. I think that lends itself to families that think athletics are important, and kids thrive in those environments. We have a lot of great opportunities with players from very young ages to play in different sports. I also think the level of competition is high here. I mean, look, you've got the Olympic Training Center here. People and elite athletes come to train here. We just have that environment.”
 
That very high level of competition was also highlighted by Regis Jesuit girls soccer coach Will Cropper as a key factor in Colorado becoming a hotbed for elite female soccer players.
 
“We're always baffled by how much talent Colorado produces,” Coach Cropper said. “When it comes to Colorado, the talent is just pretty incredible. I think these kids are competing against each other so often, and it's such a high level. We played against Mallory [Swanson] 10 years ago, when she was at Mountain Vista. I think some of those players just kind of lead the charge and these young girls look up to them in Colorado and want to follow in their footsteps. I don't know what's being put in the water or what it is, but it's a good time to be a coach with the girls program because you see such talented players come through.”
 
Two players hoping to be the latest to walk that legendary path are Regis Jesuit’s Adeleine Walick, a member of the University of Michigan’s recruiting class, and Rocky Mountain’s Jace Holley, one of the University of Colorado’s recruits. Both Holley and Walick are also among the top three girls soccer recruits in the state’s Class of 2024, according to Prep Soccer.
 
“All you have to do is watch her practice and warm up,” Coach Cropper remarked, regarding what sets Walick apart. “She takes it so seriously, when most kids just kind of go through the routine. If they're receiving the ball, they'll get the ball and pass it back out. She's always receiving the ball and, even though no one's there, she's constantly checking over her shoulders, as if it's a game situation, to kind of get her mind and her muscle memory locked in. It’s like that with everything. Then, when she’s in a game, she can do what she needs to do without without even thinking about it. She's just so detail-oriented about striking a ball or receiving a ball, and I see it in the classroom too, as I teach her as well. She's just so focused in on the details. Her freshman year, everything was the details. That was all she cared about. Now she's kind of blossomed and is understanding and excelling at the bigger picture stuff too.”
 
Rocky Mountain girls soccer head coach Shane Wagner shared a similar description of Holley.
 
“Jace [Holley] gets the job done on and off the field,” Coach Wagner said. “It starts with her preparation for training and readiness to take whatever the coaches have designed for each session, and she sets the tone. She puts her maximum effort into each session knowing how she and her teammates train will be how the team goes out during the next match. Jace’s attitude on gameday is just to smile. For her, it’s another day to compete and be with her friends doing something they all love. But, when the whistle blows, she is ready.”
 
Holley echoes that sentiment and says the primary reason for her success has been her mindset.
 
“I would attribute most of my growth to my mindset," Holley said. "If you play with a chip on your shoulder, any program could develop you. Besides my club teams, I didn’t go to many trainers or camps or other programs as such. I spent a lot of my time working by myself and with my dad.”
 
That said, Holley does believe there’s truth to Colorado’s especially competitive girls soccer scene helping foster her rare degree of skill.
 
“Since Colorado has a smaller soccer community and far less people than other states, including Texas or California, it shrinks down the amount of quality teams,” Holley explained. “The players make each other better every day. Often players are making committed drives just to go to practice, and this makes them strive to get the most out of practice every day, which makes them better.”
 
Walick also thinks the state is especially skilled.
 
“I think the state has produced so many players because Colorado is able to be super competitive across the board,” Walick explained. “There are a lot of good soccer players in Colorado, especially for girls, and there's a lot of good club teams. And then when we play high school, we all get to split up and then play against each other, and with others who we don't normally get to play with. So we’re exposed to such good competition within the state a lot.”
 
One other item both top recruits share, which both are actively working to change, is that neither has won a state championship. In fact, both are trying to secure the first-ever girls soccer state title for their respective programs.
 
Walick and Holley have helped their teams earn state tournament bids each of their first three seasons, with Regis Jesuit reaching the second round in 2022, and Rocky Mountain reaching the quarterfinals in 2021 and 2023 and the second round in 2022, but the championship has eluded them so far.
 
“Winning it all would be so meaningful for me as an individual because, in both club and high school, my teams have come very close to big titles but have fallen just short,” Holley reflected. “It would be amazing to pull through and come out on top, winning state, for just this reason. It would also be meaningful for our team coming out of Fort Collins, which is a much smaller city than Denver, which is home to a bunch of top-tier high schools that consistently excel.”
 
The CHSAA’s 5A Girls Soccer State Championship Tournament will begin on Tuesday, May 7, with 4A following on Wednesday, May 8, 3A on Thursday, May 9 and 2A on Saturday, May 10. The state championship games will be played on Tuesday, May 21 and Wednesday, May 22 at Dick's Sporting Goods Park.