1 / 5

Maeser Prep's Deborah Chavez works her way around the Waterford defense during Tuesday's double overtime win. September 29, 2026

Brandon Gurney, Daily Herald

2 / 5

Maeser Prep's Kelia Bingham battles for possession during her team's win over Waterford on Tuesday. September 29, 2026

Brandon Gurney, Daily Herald

3 / 5

Maeser Prep's Ruth Dredge fires a shot during her team's 1-0 double overtime win over Waterford. September 29, 2026

Brandon Gurney, Daily Herald

4 / 5

Maeser Prep players celebrate their win over Waterford on Tuesday. September 29, 2026

Brandon Gurney, Daily Herald

5 / 5

Maeser Prep players jog off of the field after their thrilling 1-0 double overtime win over Waterford on Tuesday. September 29, 2026

Brandon Gurney, Daily Herald

❮ ❯

Spending upwards of two hours draining a field with a dixie cup isn’t the ideal way to spend anyone’s time, but for Maeser Prep soccer girls coach Dustin Simmons, he’s willing to just about anything for his players.

On Tuesday, with Maeser’s home field still largely a muddy mess despite Simmons’ best efforts, the Lions rose to the challenge, defeating visiting Waterford 1-0 in double overtime. Simmons’ daughter, junior striker Cami Simmons, finished off the game about midway through the second overtime period with a goal scored which set off the type of celebration teams normally reserve for the state championship.

“I don’t think we’ve ever beaten Waterford in school history, so this was big for us,” Coach Simmons said. “Last year we lost to them 4-0 in the state semifinals, and our girls knew coming in that they had to bring it and give it everything they had, which they did. It wasn’t super pretty, much like our field here, but they knew what it was going to take, and you saw the result.”

According to Coach Simmons, Maeser’s field is usually freshly cut every Monday, but perhaps due to excess rain remaining on the field, the grass was left long for Tuesday’s game with more than several muddy patches doting Maeser’s unique home surface. But as mentioned, without Coach Simmons’ efforts, the surface may have been almost unplayable.

“I went around with dixie cups and emptied all the excess water I could into a 5-gallon bucket,” Coach Simmons said. “So I probably ended up taking about 50 gallons of water off of the field during lunch today. But I’ll do anything for these girls, and if that means emptying water off the field bit by bit for them to be able to play at their best, then I’m going to do it.”

And Coach Simmons’ players will do most anything for their coach, and did as much versus Waterford on Tuesday, battling back and forth before finally breaking through in the second overtime period.

“We talk a lot about mental toughness, and how if things don’t go your way, you have to get into a zone and believe that you’re going to make a huge difference,” Coach Simmons said. “So today we just had to keep believing, keep going at it, and then momentum broke our way and we were able to beat a truly great program in Waterford. We have so much respect for that program and what they’ve been able to build, so it makes the win today truly special.”

With the win Maeser improves its mark to 13-2 overall, and with the rarest of wins over Waterford notched on its belt, big things can be expected with the state playoffs on tap with just two games remaining in the regular season. To get to Maeser’s current status, several aspects have to work together in exemplifying certain team strengths.

“I feel a real strength for us this year is our overall team speed,” Coach Simmons said. “We have tremendous speed, and especially at the wing positions, and that’s something that’s really helped us this year.”

The Lion’s two primary wings just happen to be the team’s two leading scorers in Cami Simmons and Tess Jorgensen, both of whom are also team captains.

“They’ve been great and are two girls the rest of the team looks to for leadership,” Coach Simmons said. “But the biggest strength of our team, I feel, is how every single girl is willing to work as hard as they can for one another, and you saw that today. Cami got hit hard early in the game, and had to sit, but she went back out there, gave it her all for those last 10 minutes, and then scored the goal. And that’s what this team does. It wasn’t easy out there today with the conditions, but all of them battled through and we were able to get the result we did. I couldn’t be prouder of all of them.”