Prep girls' soccer: Riverton's Skolmoski excels in new position

Slowing down Riverton junior Hailey Skolmoski is no easy task.

A broken-down bus stranded the Riverton girls' soccer team somewhere near Thanksgiving Point on Tuesday evening, and the team arrived at its match against region rival American Fork with only minutes to spare.

No problem.

The American Fork keeper inadvertently kicked Skolmoski in the head after the Silverwolves' leading scorer got off a diving chip shot.

No problem.

"She's got a motor like I haven't seen," Riverton coach Paul Moizer said. "She just keeps going and going. She just never quits. There's just absolutely no quit in the girl at all."

It's a motor that prompted Moizer to switch Skolmoski from fullback to forward midway through last season, and one that has made all the difference for the Silverwolves (11-2).

"She's taken us to a new height this year," Moizer said. "She sets the bar high and everyone else is trying to keep up. She will do whatever it takes for the team to succeed. If I told her to play goalie because I think it would help the team, she'd be the first one in there."

Skolmoski, a 4.0 student who committed to the University of Utah, understands her responsibility as a leader and teammate.

"I'm a very determined player," she said. "I'm going to go out there and do everything it takes to win. And I'm going to do everything I can to make my teammates look good. It's important to me to make sure that my team is successful, not just me."

It's an attitude Moizer regularly sees from Skolmoski, who has scored 19 goals this season.

"She is the best teammate out here," Moizer said. "It's not all about her. She's the first to work hard for someone else."

Skolmoski has lofty goals to play in the women's professional league and dreams about competing for the national team in the World Cup and Olympics. But for now she has her sights set on taking Riverton "as far as [they're] willing to go" in a state tournament run.

"If I didn't have my team," she said, "I wouldn't be the player I am today." —

Hailey Skolmoski file

Year • Junior

School • Riverton

Position • Forward

College commit • Utah