Former Bison plays on world stage

Sophia Lockerby chose to serve her country after she graduated from Great Falls High in 2009.

This fall, the former Bison soccer star, who served as team captain her senior year on the women’s team at the Air Force Academy, earned an opportunity to extend her service to the pitch.

Lockerby, now a range control officer at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station after graduating from the AFA in 2013, was selected to the U.S. Armed Forces National Women’s Soccer team, competing at the CISM World Military Championships on Oct. 2-11 in Mungyeong, South Korea.

Lockerby said the honor of playing on the Armed Forces squad didn’t truly hit her until she stepped onto the field.

“Prior to the tryout, we didn’t realize the significance of the CISM games,” Lockerby said, “nor did we realize the quality of women players we would be competing against at the tournament. When reality set in, making the team was a dream come true. Not only was I playing with the best USA women’s squad the country had ever sent (comprised of all Division I players from the Naval Academy, West Point, AFA, Stanford and the University of Utah) but we were playing other nation’s national team members.”

Lockerby, a midfielder, saw significant time in the US’s first two games against France and South Korea, an impressive feat considering the bevy of talent on her squad. The Americans went 0-3 in the tournament and did not score a goal, but she said the overall experience was life changing.

“The games went well for me personally,” Lockerby said. “Due to international FIFA rules, only three subs were allowed per game and we had 22 players on the roster so playing time was very competitive.

“The traveling portion of the trip wasn’t the best because of the lengthy duration, but the experience in Korea was one of a kind. We were pretty confined to the Athlete’s Village but were able to get out and see the country. The people were very kind. It was great to interact with the other 119 nations within the village. Breaking down language barriers was a challenge but all-in-all I learned more about the world on this trip than anything else I have ever been a part of.”

Lockerby enjoyed a very successful career at GFH before her time in Colorado Springs, Colo., taking home All-state honors in soccer and a state doubles championship in tennis her senior year.

Lockerby credits then Bison head soccer coach Mary Aspinwall as someone who always encouraged her to go the extra mile.

“Mary was always pushing me to do better,” Lockerby said. “Sometimes it was tough love but you need that, too. The whole Aspinwall family had a huge impact on me. Sara (a soccer star at GFH and the University of Montana) was an idol of mine, as well.”

Lockerby’s father Bryan, the Administrator for the Division of Criminal Investigation for the Department of Justice in Helena after a 31-year career in the Great Falls Police Department, said the club soccer programs in Great Falls served as an integral part in his daughter’s development.

“What I told her is she earned everything she’s accomplished,” Bryan said, “but it’s a village concept and she didn’t get there by herself. The coaching and instruction she’s received (in high school and Thunderbolt club soccer) got her to where she is today.”

Lindsay Smith, the current GFH girls’ soccer mentor, coached Lockerby for three years in the Thunderbolts program when Sophia was in high school.

Smith said that particular Thunderbolt team, which included C.M. Russell and UM star Erin Craig and Jenell Jackson of GFH who went on to play for the University of Great Falls, stood out in her mind because of the cohesiveness of the group.

“When Sophie was playing we not only had one of the best teams in the state but in the region,” Smith said. “Her junior year we went down to Las Vegas for the Far West Regionals and played the Nevada state champs. They got up on us early but we came back and won and just shocked them. That’s a moment as a coach when you realize you had nothing to do with the win. Those kids just decided they were going to.

“There was a bond with that team that I haven’t seen before.”

Smith added Lockerby’s leadership extended beyond her physical tools.

“She isn’t the fastest player but she has great technical skills, which is a great example for younger players,” Smith said. “But she was such a calming force for the team. She never got flustered. It’s impressive to have not only the skills but a great mindset psychologically.”

Lockerby commended Smith’s leadership.

“Lindsay was a great coach,” Lockerby said. “The reason we were so close as a team is because she knew how to bring us together.”

A surreal moment for Lockerby came a few years later, when she took the field for the AFA to square off against her old pal Craig and the Grizzlies in a Falcon win.

“It was such a cool thing to compete against her on the field with that mutual Montana respect,” Lockerby said. “It was great to shake her hand at the end and see how far we’ve come in our soccer careers.”

Craig currently plays professionally overseas for Assi IF in the Swedish Division I League.

Lockerby was given the Team Player’s award by her teammates in her junior season and elected co-captain her senior year at the AFA, which she said was a humbling experience.

“Both of those honors meant the world to me,” Lockerby said. “It was truly special to know my teammates voted on both accounts. We had a great group of women that equally deserved both accolades. Soccer wise, I was never the best on the team, but the votes showed that stats do not carry all the weight, rather leadership through hard work and commitment.”

Off the field in Colorado Springs, Lockerby described the Academy as “not always the greatest place to be, but it’s an incredible place to be from.”

“USAFA is definitely its own beast,” Lockerby said. “It was extremely difficult at times and it wasn’t the typical college experience, but I couldn’t imagine having gone somewhere else. It’s allowed me to do things I never dreamed of being able to do, such as play in the CISM games, launch rockets out of Cape Canaveral, and serve alongside some of the bravest men and women in uniform.

“There were some tough times but it brought everyone together and now we look back on it and laugh. It made me better today.”

Lockerby hails as a proud Montanan, but don’t expect her to take off from the Sunshine State anytime soon.

“I never want to go through another Montana winter again,” Lockerby laughed. “Florida is the best. Right now it’s 75 degrees and sunny.”

Bryan said he is very proud of all that his daughter has achieved on and off the field.

“I think we all have expectations as parents for what your kid needs to do to succeed,” Bryan said. “She certainly represents her community well. She’s shown the heart and desire that a lot of us expect.”

Lockerby’s time with the US Armed Forces team isn’t over, as she and the team travel to France in 2016, which she said she’s already preparing for.

“I will absolutely continue to train more soccer specific in hopes to help the US get on the podium there.”