When the Flagstaff girls soccer team entered the 2023-24 winter season, the expectations were somewhere between a mediocre rebuilding season and championship contention.
Clearly, after an undefeated regular season, the No. 1 ranking in the 4A Conference and a run to the state tournament semifinals, it was more of the latter option.
The Eagles had to replace much of their starting lineup from the year prior. What they did know for certain was that senior Kate Bouck -- who signed to play for the Northern Arizona Lumberjacks ahead of her final high school campaign -- would be there as an anchor.
Bouck, who moved to the midfield this season after playing primarily forward, was named the 4A Grand Canyon Region Player of the Year, and earned 4A All-Conference First Team Honors. She’s also been named the Daily Sun Soccer Athlete of the Year.
The journey is far from over, as Bouck will go on to a team that has played in the Big Sky Conference title games the last two seasons and will have to compete for a spot on the field. However, reflecting on her high school soccer days, Bouck feels she’s grown substantially.
NAU commit Kate Bouck scores her second of the day in the 53rd minute, giving Flagstaff a 4-0 lead pic.twitter.com/eulUW4EylD
— Eric Newman (@enewmanwrites) February 1, 2024
“If you were to take freshman Kate and senior Kate, you would just totally not even recognize who I was back then. I was so shy and in my shell, and now I feel comfortable,” Bouck said. “I feel like I’ve gotten to learn so much about soccer and about my teammates, and the amount of development I’ve had in these four years is something I’ll always be grateful for and never forget.”
Coach Savannah Berry, who took over ahead of the 2021-22 season, recalls similar growth.
“I think her story just showed how, if you’re determined and you do the work and you do it when nobody’s watching and respect your teammates and the game, good things happen,” Berry said.
She added: “At that point in time, I knew Kate’s soccer knowledge could get her there, but there was so much of the physical aspect of Kate and the game that she had to improve to get there. And then when it came to this year and her signing to play at NAU, it was so awesome.”
Bouck wasn’t the lone returning player to the Eagles squad this season, but the handful who garnered heavy playing time a year prior were tasked with becoming new leaders after a massive senior class graduated in 2023.
The responsibility, whether she wanted it or not, helped Bouck improve as a player and captain.
“We realized it was our time to step up and lead the team, especially because we felt like expectations were so low for us. I think, when they left, it definitely gave us some space to do what we could. Our team got really close this year because we didn’t have as many players, and I think we made up for it,” she said.
Among Bouck’s favorite memories are bus rides, time spent in an Airbnb during a winter tournament and generally spending time with her teammates off the field.
Purely focused on soccer, though, she remembers vividly the first match of this season.
The Eagles, on Dec. 4, beat Arcadia 4-3 in extra time at Flagstaff High School. It was a tightly-contested game, and the newly formed Flagstaff squad pulled the first of their 12-straight regular-season victories.
Kate Bouck scores on a penalty, and Flagstaff leads 3-1 in the 50th minute pic.twitter.com/wwTbzyquyC
— Eric Newman (@enewmanwrites) December 4, 2023
“It felt like, ‘Oh shoot, these girls are here to play and here to win,’ and I think that just sort of changed everyone’s mindset,” Bouck said.
Now, she’ll train as much as possible to be ready for the college level.
Berry has been impressed with Bouck’s mindset that she’s using the milestones she’s reached as “stepping stones” toward improvement. There’s still much more work to do to excel with the Lumberjacks.
Right now, though, it’s just fun having the prospect of a local player succeeding in a different part of town.
Flagstaff senior Kate Bouck is signing to play women’s soccer at NAU pic.twitter.com/u5U36KGdJH
— Eric Newman (@enewmanwrites) November 8, 2023
“It gives us a lot of excitement seeing the girls from Flagstaff go on and get to experience that,” Berry said. “And it also is exciting for the youth in Flagstaff, having watched her in high school and now getting to follow her journey in high school.”
