Back in the day, Bart Simpson was a classic underachiever at school. 

According to Cottonwood head soccer coaches BryLee Harvest and his brother Bryce, that would not be how you’d characterize Sophie Yates. 

“As a person, she’s an overachiever and one of the sweetest people you will meet. She’s genuine, compassionate, and is hilarious,” said coach BryLee Harvest of his team’s junior co-captain. “I can’t recount the number of times Sophie has made us laugh or smile, she’s the type of person that you instantly miss when she is not in your presence.” 

On and off the soccer field, Yates kept team spirits light despite having a highly competitive nature. 

“Sophie Yates absolutely hates to lose, one of the most competitive athletes we’ve had in our time at Cottonwood,” said Harvest. “Bryce and I often play in practice and will trash talk a lot, she will reciprocate that back at us and amplify that tenfold when she beats us.” 

In all, Yates also plays three sports at Cottonwood and said she enjoys the time she’s spent on the Colts’ girls team. 

“I absolutely love playing for Coach Bryce and Coach BryLee and Cottonwood soccer,” said Yates.  “Although this past year we did not win as many games as we would have liked, I loved that we were competitive in each game we played and that we got better as the season went on. My teammates are amazing to play with, and we strive to work hard to improve each day. It is fun and rewarding to be a part of a soccer program where we know we are trying to build something that is great.”

When he and his brother asked her to move to center back after the Colts lost their region opener to Tooele by a 6-0 final score, she didn’t hesitate despite having never played the position. 

“We would often start her there for the first 10 minutes of the game because that’s where we were conceding most of our goals,” Harvest said. 

“We would gauge how much pressure we were absorbing in those first minutes, and if it was a game we felt we could be more aggressive, we would move her up the field slowly from center back to center defensive midfield—all the way up to striker at times. 

“… Believe me, she would’ve played goalie if we allowed her to,” joked Harvest.

Yates—who plays golf and basketball as well at Cottonwood—wasn’t able to score any goals or notch any assists for the Colts this past season, but Harvest said he and his brother will be forever indebted to Yates and the selfless leadership example she provided in spite of it all. 

“As a coach, I cannot talk enough about how great a privilege it is to get to watch her play soccer—let alone be one of her coaches,” said Harvest. 

“You wouldn’t be able to tell that she is a center attacking midfielder and not a center back the way she played it. Never complained about center back. And, her incredible willingness to learn makes any coaches’ job easier.” 

Yates will now turn her attention to basketball and head coach Tes Soracco’s two-time Region 10 champions. Like Harvest, Yates’s basketball coach had nothing but glowing things to say about the Cottonwood junior. 

“Sophie is a standout athlete and an incredible young lady, excelling both on the basketball court and the soccer field. Her competitive spirit and drive to improve make her a joy to coach,” said coach Soracco. “Sophie’s coachability and eagerness to learn are matched only by her remarkable defensive skills, which set her apart as a true game changer.” 

In closing, Harvest said he wanted to remind everyone that Yates is indeed one of one. 

“Whether it’s at practice, games, playing cards, or college sports rivalries, never bet against Sophie Yates,” said Harvest. “I mean that figuratively and literally, I recently learned this the hard way when my alma mater University of Utah lost to her BYU Cougars in football, and I owed her Swig. She’s always someone you want to have in your corner and the game is never over until it is officially over. 

“It is well known that we did not have the best season. Sophie Yates is a fighter and never once let the scoreboard affect how she played. Whether we were up multiple goals up or down multiple goals, you would never be able to tell what the score was if it weren’t for the scoreboard.” 

Looking ahead to next year when Yates will be a senior at Cottonwood, Harvest said the heartbeat of the Colts girls soccer team will be in great hands. 

“She wears her heart on her sleeve when she plays soccer, it is truly remarkable to see,” said Harvest. “Her passion and work ethic speaks volumes to her character and her parents, and we are excited to see what the rest of her time at Cottonwood brings. There’s a reason she is one of our captains and someone Bryce and I believe has more greatness in her unwritten chapter here at Cottonwood.”  λ