SOCCER!!!

I still LOVE soccer! For those of you who haven't seen me in awhile, I have not stopped playing...this year will mark my 26th year of playing soccer....I started when I was 4!

Currently I am playing on two indoor teams and they are so fun! My women's team is AMAZING. We are LOADED with awesome players (many played for BYU, and I know one played for Idaho State) and I love playing with them. I really don't do anything, they make me look so dang good that I need to make them look better than they already are! I have way too much fun standing in goal watching them work together..it's beautiful soccer to watch...you'd just have to see it to understand. And they aren't cocky about it either, which makes the experience even better! My second team is a co-ed team! The whole experience is just a total blast. Most of my team is related, and it's fun to see a family do something they love together and I get to be a part of that! Co-ed is a bit more challenging for me because of the speed of play...I'm just not fast enough to keep up with some of the shots from the guys. We just added a new player to our team who is also a goalkeeper...yeah...um....he basically makes me look like the fat kid the coach throws in goal because they can't do anything else! He's pretty dang good and I am excited to see what I can learn from him. It's been a really positive experience and I am so blessed to still love what I do best and to still be playing at my age! Ha ha! I'm only 29, but still...
Thanks to everyone who supported me, trained me, played with me and against me(since I get better after every game I play!)...all of you have made me into the player and coach that I am today! I can't take any credit for the success in my soccer career. I also realize that my family helped soccer be a top priority in my life so I could have a successful career and I will be forever grateful for the sacrifices they made to make my dreams come true! They are a great example of what I need to do to help my friends and loved ones do what they love to do and achieve the goals they have set for themselves. THANK YOU to all of you!


There's a story behind these beautiful white cleats...it rained the night before my very first soccer game. I had these bright, sparkly new white cleats and I was so proud of them. When I stepped on to the field, they got dirty and I started to cry. My mom came over and said, "Marla! Why are you crying?!" I replied, "because my cleats are dirty!" My mother in her wisdom responded by saying, "they are suppose to get dirty!" I sniffled, "they are?" My mother, "yes!" I straightened up and said, "Oh, o.k.!" And off I went. I guess over time the dirt stopped bothering me because being a goalkeeper, its sometimes really hard to stay clean!

Who would've known that I would play in college and still be playing today! The pics below are a few from college. I have no recent pictures of me playing. My dad was the one who always took pictures of me while playing soccer, so since he isn't around, these old pics will have to do...unless they have cameras in heaven and my dad is snapping some shots he can give me at a later time!