Long Beach native freshman defender Tavia Leachman knew she always wanted to leave California; she wanted to explore some place new. She visited many schools outside of her home state — pretty much all over the country — but fell in love with Utah because it was the most different from where she grew up.
“Don’t get me wrong, I love [California]. I just love the atmosphere here,” Leachman said. “I love how Utah has all four seasons, unlike California where it is just different kinds of sunshine all the time.”
Leachman continued to say that she also fell in love with the school. She said that the location in Salt Lake City was amazing, but when the team and the coaches were added to the mix, it felt like a home away from home.
“The team is absolutely amazing,” Leachman said. “It has more of a family atmosphere. We all hang out, we all talk and we are all there for each other. I think that is just really important on and off the field and that isn’t something you really find that often.”
As a freshman on the Utah soccer team, Leachman felt intimidated coming from another state as an 18-year-old into a big conference. She was also nervous about playing against girls who were not only older than her, but who had more experience playing at the college level. Since the team was more than welcoming, however, it made the transition much easier. So even with some nerves, that hasn’t stopped Leachman and her team from performing on the field.
“I feel like season has been going really well,” Leachman said. “Only losing two games and tying one to fantastic teams, and being able to to beat other really great teams is amazing. We also had a really strong pre-season so I think we have been doing really well.”
So far this season, Leachman has played a total of 110 minutes, taking multiple shots, one on goal, and one assisted goal against UC Irvine. She wants to accomplish more, however, and Leachman has her goals set high for the rest of the season.
“One thing that I have kind of set for myself is to just kind of build more confidence,” Leachman said. “Coming in as a freshman is hard and intimidating, so I’ve just been relying on my teammates to build the confidence in myself. That is definitely a big goal I have for myself this season.”
Head coach Rich Manning said that when Leachman committed to Utah, he expected a lot out of her. Upon arrival she has not only met those expectations, but she has exceeded them.
“[Leachman] has been a rock back there as a freshman which is not easy to do,” Manning said. “I am really proud of her and a lot of girls who have seamlessly come in and play really well their first year.”
Adding to what Manning said, Leachman also felt that all the new freshmen who came in this year blended well with the team. She also said that knowing the team has scored more goals this pre-season than in the past shows how well they can come together and compete as one.
“We were all kind of getting to know each other and knowing how we play,” Leachman said. “I think we can only go up from here.”
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