Newcomer Spotlight: Sophia Boman

TOUCH & GO

Major: plans to major in biology
Favorite hobby: being outdoors, water skiiing
Favorite musical artist: anything country
Favorite movie: Forrest Gump
Favorite pro team: U.S. Women's National Team
Favorite athlete: Julie Ertz
Favorite meal: sushi
Hidden talent: wiggle ears
Biggest fear: spiders
Dream vacation spot: Atlantis

With the start of the fall semester inching closer, Gopher Sports is sitting down with this year's newcomers on the Minnesota women's soccer team. The Gophers welcome six incoming freshmen to campus this year, featuring players hailing from the Midwest to the Southeast.

Continuing this week, we have freshman midfielder Sophia Boman, a 2020 graduate of Edina High School. Over the course of her prep career, Boman was a four-year letterwinner and two-time captain for head coach Katie Aafedt. As the 2019 Star Tribune All-Metro Player of the Year, Boman was a three-time All-State honoree and also hauled in an All-Conference nod during all four of her prep seasons.

In 2019, Boman was named a United Soccer Coaches All-American after being tabbed as an Allstate All-American one year prior. Boman's leadership helped power Edina to Lake Conference Championships in both 2017 and 2019. The four-time Academic All-Conference recipient also competed for Minnesota Thunder Academy.

GopherSports: Why did you choose the University of Minnesota?
Boman: "I really like the team atmosphere. That stood out to me a lot compared to other places. I feel like they were really competitive but they all cheered each other on and it was really fun, and something you can't force. I really liked the coaches, too, and just the feeling I got when I got here. I just knew it was the right place."

GS: When did you first start playing soccer and when did you know that you wanted to compete collegiately?
Boman: "When I was really little... before I could walk, my dad was my sister's soccer coach, so he always says how he swung me around to kick the ball while he was coaching. So, I started pretty young. When I was little, I always played soccer, so as long as I can remember. My oldest sister, she's six years older, she played soccer at the University of South Dakota for a couple years, so from a young age I always did want to play college soccer. But when she did it, I realized how much went into it, but I really liked that aspect."

GS: Did you play any other sports growing up?
Boman: "I swam in elementary school and my neighbors and I would play sports like every day."

GS: Being a Minnesota native, were you a Gopher fan growing up?
Boman: "Some of our really good family friends, Katelyn Wagner, she played here, so when we were really little we'd go see their games and I thought it was so cool… I just remember how cool it was when they signed my poster, how I had it up in my room. Now, I'm in the reverse role and little girls in Minnesota look up to the team."

GS: What was your high school soccer experience like?
Boman: "It was really fun. I was on varsity all four of my years and the first two years, my sister who is two years older than me, we both were on the same team before she graduated, so it was really fun getting to play with her. Once she left, it was kind of taking on a different role where I wasn't the little sister anymore, then I was a captain for two years. It seems like so long ago, but both of them were really fun. It was really good balance to have both of them – high school in the fall, but then club the rest of the year."

GS: How did it feel being named the 2019 Star Tribune All-Metro Player of the Year and a two-time All-American, among other accolades?
Boman: "It was really cool to get the recognition. I worked pretty hard for that, but I tried never to have the mindset of working for individual awards. It was more just I play my best and it was nice to get those things out of it."

GS: What would you say is your biggest strength as a player?
Boman: "I've been told that I have a lot of energy, so I just think I can have good endurance and a lot of energy when I play."

GS: What is the most memorable moment of your soccer career so far?
Boman: "With my club team, we were on ECNL, so we traveled a lot, so that was super fun. We went to Seattle for Nationals a couple of years ago. It was super fun to play there, but also on our off-time we got to explore the city and it's just really cool to see and fun to hang out with my teammates."

GS: Who has been your biggest mentor or inspiration throughout your career?
Boman: "Personally, I would say my older sisters. When I was younger, I would play soccer with them and I wanted to be as good as them or better than them. They really pushed me and I also looked up to them a lot. On a professional level, anyone on the National Team, especially Julie Ertz and Christen Press. I think they're all just so cool and they seem like really nice people, too."

GS: What advice do you have for aspiring youth athletes?
Boman: "Always try your hardest and make sure that you still enjoy playing the sport. If you're just doing it to get a goal, but you don't really like doing it, it's going to be a lot harder. Keep enjoying it and having fun with your teammates."

GS: What are your goals as Gopher Soccer player?
Boman: "I want to do whatever the team wants me to do. Once I've been here longer, I'll have more set-out goals, since we just started. Be a really good teammate and do what I need to do to be a part of the team."

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Sophia Boman