12 Alaska soccer standouts sign to college level
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) - Over the years, the 12 girls with Cook Inlet Soccer Club spent countless hours honing their craft at The Dome during long, dark winter days.
It all paid off Wednesday when they gathered under the same inflated roof and signed to continue their careers at the collegiate level.
Opponents on the pitch during the high school season but teammates for Cook Inlet S.C., the dynamic dozen of 2007 have accomplished a lot together over the years. The squad was the first Alaska club to win the National League Pro Wildcard Division and are two-time USYS Northwest conference champions.
“Throughout the high school season, when we play each other, we already know each other, so me personally, I’ll talk to them a bit, chat it up with them on how they’re doing,” Leiloa Fesolai said. “Then, when we get back together, it’s like one big family all again, we just click.”
After all of the accomplishments together, they will be going their separate ways at the next level.
Well, not all of them.
A quartet representing four different high schools will be teaming up at Western Oregon University: West Anchorage’s Fesolai, Chugiak’s Meadow Lewis, South Anchorage’s Lexi Luff and Dimond’s Kate Seibert.
While being club teammates was a strong influence, they each had their own reasons for wanting to play for the Division II program.
″I liked the team atmosphere, I really liked the small community, everyone was really nice," Luff said. “It was pretty and seemed like somewhere that would be a good fit for me. And then I liked the soccer, too.”
“I knew it would be more comforting going with people that I already knew and play with so we could combine and play together,” Fesolai added.
“I had a really good connection with the coach — shout out Coach Kacey,” Seibert said. “Once I visited, walking on campus, meeting the players, I realized it’s home.”
High school rivals and Cook Inlet teammates — South’s Faith Hughes and Dimond’s Parker Sullivan — will join forces at Division I’s Idaho State University this fall after battling for a championship in the spring.
“It was a little bit of a relief because I wasn’t going to college by myself, I knew that I had someone that I am pretty familiar with going with me,” Hughes said.
“Getting to know another Alaskan that I have played against for so long, and now on the same team is super fun,” Sullivan chimed in. " I am super excited."
Dimond and South, who have met in each of the last of the last five state championship title matches, square off on Tuesday at The Dome as the 2025 season kicks off.
“We joke about it sometimes after our pre-season games and stuff, but it is all light, it is fun,” Sullivan mentioned.
| Name | College | High School |
|---|---|---|
| Parker Sullivan | Idaho State (DI) | Dimond |
| Faith Hughes | Idaho State (DI) | South Anchorage |
| Leiloa Fesolai | Western Oregon (DII) | West Anchorage |
| Meadow Lewis | Western Oregon (DII) | Chugiak |
| Lexi Luff | Western Oregon (DII) | South Anchorage |
| Kate Seibert | Western Oregon (DII) | Dimond |
| Brooklyn Bailey | Westminster University (DII) | South Anchorage |
| Skylar Lind | Jamestown University (DII) | South Anchorage |
| Izzy Schuld | Chaminade U of Honolulu (DII) | Service |
| Faith Mondeel | Dort University (NAIA DII) | Grace Christian |
| Anna Suoja | Centralia College (JC) | Service |
| Avery Campbell | UAA (DII) - Track & Field | Dimond |
While all previously mentioned are talented goal scorers, South goalkeeper Skylar Lind has sharpened her skills in net trying to stop them.
“The talent that we have here is insane, and more people outside of Alaska should realize that,” Lind said.
Lind was the goalie for South’s 2023 state championship over Dimond and was named to the All-Tournament team.
”It is special for me because goalie is a harder position to keep and then to find in college, and I get to keep that,” Lind said. ”It takes a lot of time, dedication and perseverance. There is definitely going to be hard moments and you just have to keep pushing through.”
As for Dimond’s Avery Campbell, she may have spent twice as much time in The Dome as the others as a two-sport star in soccer and track.
“I sleep less than I am at The Dome,” Campbell joked.
Heading into her senior year, Campbell had to make the difficult decision between soccer and track, ultimately staying home and signing with the University of Alaska Anchorage’s Division II track and field program.
“That was maybe the hardest decision I’ve ever made in my whole life,” Campbell said. “It took me forever. I cried about it a lot, I will admit, but it ended up just being that UAA was the best fit for me.”
Campbell, who competes in the sprinting (4x200 relay state champion), distance and jumping disciplines, also had the option of playing college soccer. The Lynx senior has been a key contributor for both Dimond and Cook Inlet S.C.
No matter the destination, they all went through the journey together, contributing to each other’s success.
“It’s awesome,” Campbell said. “I am so proud of everybody.”
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