It replicates the feel of a professional team. (The coaches) are really professional and know what they're doing. – Darian Jenkins
SANDY — Top soccer players from Utah will be going for one of the biggest trophies in women's soccer on Saturday.
Real Salt Lake Women are hosting the San Francisco Nighthawks for the Women’s Premiere Soccer League (WPSL) Elite Championship — kicking off a triple header of soccer at Rio Tinto Stadium.
The 3 p.m. showdown between some of the U.S.'s two top women's club teams will be followed by an RSL-D.C. United watch party and capped by a Real Monarchs game at 7:30 p.m. The women's game will be streamed live at DeseretNews.com.
Despite being a semi-pro squad (players are not paid, but all team expenses are covered by the club), RSL Women has — and is — producing some top-level talent. While the team is made up high schoolers, college players and some former professionals, the team's atmosphere and culture has helped players reach the next level.
"It's really competitive," said Darian Jenkins, a former Riverton High and RSL Women player who plays for UCLA and the U.S. U-20 national team. Jenkins is one of many players with professional or international experience to have played or is playing for RSL Women.
"It replicates the feel of a professional team," Jenkins said. "(The coaches) are really professional and know what they're doing."
That environment helped Brighton High and Seattle University star midfielder Stephanie Verdoia stay sharp during the college offseason. Verdoia was given the Senior CLASS Award last year and was signed by the National Women's Soccer League's Boston Breakers — one of the oldest women's professional teams in the country — this past April.
Verdoia, who had a successful career at Seattle U., scoring 51 goals and dishing out 30 assists in 83 games (all starts), credits RSL Women with helping her continue to improve her game, even in the offseason.
"It helped me enjoy the game," she said. "(RSL Women) have incredible, consistent leadership. They instill great soccer values, and they're very encouraging.
"Everybody is excited to play for RSL Women."
Drafted by the Breakers in the fourth round of the NWSL draft, the midfielder has been enjoying her time in Boston — even if her playing time with the senior team has been limited.
"It's been really hard, but it's been a good experience," Verdoia said. "My rookie season has been more of a learning experience."
The biggest thing she's learned while playing in the talent-packed nine-team NWSL is that even a tiny tactical adjustment can be the difference between winning and losing, between zero and three points in the standings.
The big impact of those small tweaks was on display in last month's World Cup. The United States struggled to score in the group stage of the competition only to break out of the slump in the knockout games after moving Carli Lloyd up from defensive midfield to a more attacking midfield spot. The Americans continued to improve as they advanced, knocking out top-ranked Germany in the semifinal before destroying defending champion Japan 5-2 behind Lloyd's hat trick.
Verdoia, who has played for the U.S. U-23 team, watched the World Cup with increased interest because she played with — and against — many of the tournament's stars just weeks prior in the NWSL. She said it was a great experience battling U.S. National team regulars Lloyd and Meghan Klingenberg in the midfield when the Breakers took on Lloyd's Houston Dash.
Boston currently sits at the bottom of the league table, eight points behind the Dash and the final of four playoff spots. Still, Verdoia is confident her team can catch them.
"We're really looking to move up."
Verdoia's old team, RSL Women, doesn't have to worry about making a playoff push. The team has just one game left — the Women's Premier Soccer League's Elite championship.
Their opponent will be the San Francisco Nighthawks, a team RSL Women has a habit of running into when hardware is on the line. RSL Women captain and midfielder Annie Hawkins said they've battled the Nighthawks in championship games before.
"They've naturally become one of our rivals," she said.
Hawkins' team played in the 74-team NPSL this summer, taking third in the Big Sky Conference. RSL Women and San Francisco were among several NPSL clubs to found an Elite division of the second-highest level of women's soccer in the U.S. However, not enough teams committed to the Elite to make for a full-fledged season, Hawkins said, but there were enough teams to put together a smaller competition.
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