Relax and unplug: BYU’s Sivulich finds her peace on the river
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- BYU’s Sophie Sivulich races after the ball in a women’s college soccer match against Southern Utah at South Field on Wednesday, Aug. 6, 2026.
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- BYU’s Sophie Sivulich greets fans after a 4-1 victory against Southern Utah at South Field on Wednesday, Aug, 6, 2026.
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- BYU’s Sophie Sivulich (10) takes a shot against Southern Utah in a women’s college soccer match at South Field on Wednesday, Aug. 6, 2026.
In most conversations with college athletes, the question, “What do you do outside of playing your sport or going to school?” is generally met with stunned silence.
The demands of training and studying leave little time for hobbies.
BYU women’s soccer player Sophie Sivulich is one of the lucky ones.
“Soccer does consume the majority of my life,” Sivulich admitted, “but something most people don’t know about me is I’m an avid fly fisher. I go to the river with my brother (former SLCC basketball player Sam Sivulich) and I love it.”
It’s an opportunity to relax and unplug from the daily grind of soccer. Sophie Sivulich said she has learned a lot from fly fishing.
“Its a lot about patience and timing,” she said. “The way you cast, you take it behind your shoulder and the fly has to barely hit the water. It acts like a bug landing on the water. How that relates to soccer, because I’m a forward, timing is everything. That’s the correlation.”
Sivulich scored 21 goals and was first team All-State during her senior season at Northridge High School in Layton. She was part of an outstanding freshman class at BYU in 2025, starting seven of the season’s first eight matches and scoring a goal against Minnesota in the opener. But a hamstring injury cut her season short.
Having lost her junior season of high school to an ACL tear, Sivulich said she was very familiar with the rehab process but the hamstring created a very different recovery process.
“With an ACL injury, it’s really hard because you start from ground zero,” she said. “With a hamstring, it feels like my leg was normal but I couldn’t do anything. I felt I was ready to go and play but my body didn’t allow it. I was able to recover with the help of our great staff.
“I was really grateful for the start I had, scoring that goal and getting experience. I love to be in a program where you are supported, no matter what.”
Limited to watching and cheering for her teammates, Sivulich tried to make the most of her time.
“Although I didn’t get to play the second half of the season, I know how to play soccer at the college level,” she said. “I learned a lot about the energy it takes to play in our system and how to be a college athlete. At BYU we play with a lot of energy and grit and I was able to watch my teammates consistently play at that level.”
Sivulich, a speedy 5-foot-3 forward, said it took her two or three games in the January off-season schedule to get back into a good groove.
“I felt behind because I was still trying to find my strength,” she said. “There was a lot of grace from the coaches. Ultimately when spring came, I felt ready and strong.”
Suvilich’s parents — Dave and Kelly — both played college basketball at St. Mary’s in California. Sophie played basketball and soccer growing up, beginning at the age of four.
“I actually probably loved basketball more than soccer growing up because it was the family sport,” she said. “We would play all time together. When I got into competitive sports in fourth and fifth grade, I decided to play soccer. I felt like I had more of a future there. In any sport you go through hard workouts and hard moments and that helps you build friendships on and off the field.”
This will be the final season for BYU head coach Jennifer Rockwood, who announced earlier this month that her 32nd season at the helm will be her last.
“I feel like we have a good relationship,” Sivulich said. “I grew up watching BYU soccer and one of the reasons I chose to go here was I’ve seen what she’s done in her career. She’s very knowledgeable and has built a great culture and a great system. We know if we work hard we’ll have great success. She’s been really willing to work with us and she’s a great role model.”
Sivulich returns in 2026 with talented fellow sophomores Mia Goettsche (15 starts, five goals, five assists) and Afton Perry (10 starts). The Cougars finished strong last season, winning the Big 12 Conference Tournament as the No. 8 seed and scoring two shootout victories in the NCAA Tournament (Utah State and UCLA) before losing to No. 1 seed Stanford in the Sweet 16. BYU graduated just one senior in midfielder Mackenzee Vance.
“I’m really most excited to be back at South Field,” Sivulich said. “I went to the South Korea game (BYU hosted two international friendlies on May 30 and June 3 before the start of the World Cup) and I was just watching on the other side of the field. I was feeling all the feelings. That’s why it’s so much fun to be at South Field. We have a great schedule. Jen always wants us to play a hard schedule and compete at a high level.”
