Altitude, a recently established club to develop young players, played its first home game at Peaksview County Park in Donny Park on Sunday.

The team plays in the Women’s Premier Soccer League (WPSL) U21 division, a league for high school and college level players who want to continue training between seasons.

But for Altitude, Sunday’s game was more than just an exhibition.

Altitude co-coachers Michael Blair and Keith Hovis have been working hard for three months to put together a WPSL-qualified team to represent Flagstaff. It was a special moment when two local coaches brought together a group of local players to put on a show in front of the crowd.

“It feels great,” Hovis said. “We have coached many of these kids from an early age, but then they all go on to college. It’s exciting to have

The club wanted to put in a good performance in front of their home crowd, but winning was not the only goal. It was equally important to build a strong foundation and inspire the participating youth players.

“We wanted to build a foundation here,” Blair said. “I spoke with them this morning, this is your first start, but it’s also about all the youth kids that come in here after you. To show, to be their mentor and role model.

It was also very meaningful for the coaches to have such a large crowd.

“It took a lot of work to make this happen, but we’re really excited about it. There were a lot of youth players who were watching as fans, so I really appreciate it,” Blair said. .

The goal for Blair and Hovis is not only to encourage the players they coach, but also those who come to watch to play at a higher level.

Providing inspiration for the next generation was key to the creation of Altitude.

As for the game itself, Altitude played just fine at a high level. Both Kiara Hovis and Bell Floyd scored early to give the hosts a 2–0 lead and the scoring came quickly and efficiently.

Logan Sloane-Muston, who is on the Northern Arizona University football roster, scored the next two goals from corner kicks to push the lead to 4-0. Her winning goal capped off the scoring in the first half.

In a nutshell from Blair, “We were focused on playing the game really beautifully for all the fans that were here.”

Altitude played almost flawlessly in the second half. The first goal of the first half came from Kate Bourke, a senior at Flagstaff High School and an NAU contributor. Lobos United were able to come back and hit back with an own goal shortly after, but it was the only goal of the match.

Floyd then scored his second goal of the game to extend Altitude’s lead to 6-1. She also scored the game’s winning goal, ending with a hat-trick. Bouk also scored a hat-trick, correcting the notion that coaches are preaching.

“It’s great to be a part of it and hopefully build on it and inspire young players who want to be better in the future,” Bouk said.

Northland Prep Academy senior Hannah Petrucci also contributed to the onslaught with a goal of her own.

The sun was scorching and the wind was uncontrollable, but in the end the altitude allowed the home crowd to go home satisfied. For the coaches, the win was the culmination of long days spent training with the team on and off the field, including holding Zoom sessions with the team to focus on formation and build chemistry.

“We really wanted to know how to get a team like this together in a given amount of time. How do we get them to play together as a group of players who don’t normally play together? “It helps a lot. We got the ball moving today and that turned things around and we finished very strong,” Blair said.

Altitude is off to a strong start in its short lifespan with a 2-1 record so far. My goal now is to develop the team so that it can compete at a higher level. Being able to progress to a competitive league means a longer season, tougher competition and more opportunities for future players who want to play football at a more challenging level.

The team’s next two games are scheduled for Saturday and Sunday, when they travel to Albuquerque to face Lobos United and El Paso Surf. The final game of the season will be in Flagstaff against Pima County Surf.