Chansi Crompton playing for RSL Women earlier this month against West Coast Wildkatz. RSL Women would win the game 3-0.
In less than a month, the Weber State University soccer team will kick off its season with an exhibition game against Utah State University. As the rest of the team gets ready for the start of the season, two Wildcats will step back on the field ready to go.
Juniors Chansi Crompton and Brecken Holbrook have spent the last few months playing with Real Salt Lake Women, a soccer team in the Women’s Premier Soccer League.
“It’s really fun, and it’s really different,” Crompton said about playing with RSL Women. “You have all ages (on the team) from kids that are just barely starting college, to women that have played and have been out of college for a while.”
Formerly known as Salt Lake United, the team entered into a partnership with Real Salt Lake two years ago, in which Real would provide financial support, as well as give the team its new name. RSL Women has seen significant success over the last few years, with the team finishing near the top of its division, as well as an appearance in the Final Four two years ago.
RSL Women finished its 2014 season in third place in the Pacific-North division, with a 6-2-2 record. They fell two points short of finishing in second place, which would have meant an appearance in the WPSL Western Regional Playoffs.
This summer marked Crompton’s second season playing with the team. RSL Women head coach Dennis Burrows said that her performance with the team over the last two years has been tremendous.
“She came out last year and played for us, and made a pretty good impact,” Burrows said. “Her maturity level over the last two years, the rise in her ability to impact a game, has been amazing. She’s one of the best players on the field now, bar none.”
Burrows said that Crompton’s positional flexibility is one of her greatest assets, and is what makes her one of the keys to the team’s success.
“She kind of holds a key position for us, because she is one of our creative midfielders,” he said. “The cool thing about her is that she can play a wing mid, she can play an inside mid, she can play an offensive mid, or she can play a defensive mid and do very well on all of them.”
Brecken Holbrook making a header for Real Salt Lake Women earlier this summer against the West Coast Wildkatz. RSL Women won the match 3-0.
Holbrook played with RSL Women for the first time this year, after hearing about it from Crompton. Holbrook said that it was fun playing with the team, but also very different than what she was used to from playing with the Weber State team.
“I was one of the youngest ones on the team, and it’s a very different dynamic,” Holbrook said. “It was a great experience and it was really fun. All of the girls are great, it was a great team to play on, and we did pretty good.”
Along with a different dynamic from playing with a new team, Holbrook also had to adapt to a different play style than what she was used to with the Wildcats.
“When she plays for Weber, she plays a little bit different role. (With Weber State) she plays as a lone sweeper in back, and we played her side-by-side with another player in the centerback,” Burrows said. “So she’s adapted to that really well, and has really adjusted and helped our team this year be successful. She gave us a whole bunch of different options.”
Burrows said that not only did Holbrook help the team out with her abilities, but she also helped the team match up against some of the larger players in the league.
“She is the kind of centerback we were looking for, because we play against a bunch of very large and tall women from southern and northern (California),” he said. “We see a lot of big soccer players, that have a lot of height, and Brecken helps with that.”
Looking forward to the upcoming season, Crompton said that she is ready to play, and that her time playing with RSL Women has helped her get ready for the start of the season.
“Any time you can get out and play in general, it’s going to help you,” Crompton said. “I think we’re pretty confident. We’ve been working out all summer. I’m excited to start for sure.”
The reigning Big Sky champion Wildcats will begin their season with an exhibition match at home against Utah State on Aug. 16 at 12 p.m. Conference play will begin for Weber State on Sept. 26, when they travel to play the University of Montana.
“We have a great team coming in, and I’m excited to see what we will do this year,” Holbrook said. “We look pretty dang good, so I think everyone should expect a great year and a great season.”
