The Boise State Broncos Women’s Soccer began their season 2-3-2 through their first seven games, a slow start that is atypical for a team led by accomplished head coach Jim Thomas. Despite the rocky start, with a talented roster, including impactful returning players and freshmen, the Broncos continue to look forward in hopes of capturing a Mountain West title.
“Kenzie’s impact has been amazing,” head coach Jim Thomas said of forward Kenzie MacMillan. “She’s been such a lightning rod for our attack.”
Redshirt senior MacMillan has scored four goals through the team’s first seven games, the highest on the team, and collected two assists. MacMillan was named to the All-Mountain West First Team in 2023 and has been a key component of the Bronco attack since her arrival in Boise in 2021.
As far as the defense goes, Thomas noted there have been both veterans and newcomers who have made names for themselves this season.
“Having Teryn come back into the midfield has been huge,” Thomas said of senior Teryn Newkirk. “She’s given us stability and strength to build around.”
Newkirk, a native of Cypress, California, was sidelined for 15 months before the start of the season due to injury, but her return has proven to be prolific. Thomas noted her consistency on the defensive side of the ball has helped young players like Madie Donovan come to prominence.
Thomas also highlighted freshman goalkeeper Ava De Leest as another catalyst for the team this season.
“Ava’s been tremendous,” Thomas said. “She’s really taken on some of the responsibilities as a leader, and to get those out of a freshman, it’s really unique.”
De Leest had 17 saves through the first seven games of the season, proving herself to be one of the most skilled freshmen on the team. As a member of the Troy High School team in Fullerton, California, she was awarded all-league honors in 2023.
The proficiency the defense has had comes at a time when the back line has gone through a shift in terms of personnel, mostly due to multiple injuries. These include long-term injuries lingering from training camp, as well as ones that were suffered a few games into the season.
Despite the slow start to the season in terms of performance and the adversity faced by the team due to injuries, Thomas encouraged his players to ignore the results and simply strive to improve a small amount each day.
“We just try and get 1% better every day,” Thomas said. “Our record is not great right now, but we try to only pick apart one or two things each week to make the improvements bite-sized.”
The composure Thomas approaches the game with, despite subpar results, is a testament to coaching prowess.
As head coach for Boise State since 2013, Thomas led the team to their three most successful seasons in program history in 2017, 2018 and 2019. He led the Broncos to a regular-season Mountain West title in 2018 and a Mountain West Tournament Championship in 2019. The Broncos’ 18 wins in 2019 set the program record for most wins in a regular season, and their eight conference wins set the program record for most regular-season conference wins.
Additionally, Thomas broke the record for most wins by a head coach in Bronco program history in the victory over Nevada on Oct. 19, 2023. This marked his 112th win as Boise State head coach.
Hailing from Bangor, Wales, Thomas served as the head coach at the University of Washington from 2008 to 2012. During this time, he led the Huskies to four NCAA Tournament appearances, which included a trip to the Elite Eight in 2010.
For soccer fans at Boise State, Thomas’s presence as the head coach is a point of pride.
“I remember doing some research on Jim Thomas when I first started following the soccer team my freshman year and I was really impressed,” Boise State student and soccer fan Mitch Theis said. “Seeing how good his coaching career has been at a high level, it’s cool to have someone like that as your school’s soccer coach.”
Despite not having as big a market as other programs, such as football and basketball, Boise State soccer is still able to reach students who love and appreciate the game.
“I’ve been to a few games and they are awesome to watch.” Boise State student AJ Garcia said. “Seeing how fast and talented some of the players are really impressed me, and I can see why they’ve been so good the past 10+ years.”
The Broncos will look to harness that same talent and speed in their next game when they take on North Dakota on Thursday, Sept. 11 at home. As they gear up for conference play which begins on Sept. 25 against Wyoming, the team will continue to search for its rhythm in hopes of capping off the season with a Mountain West Championship.
