Soccer shaped Elle Ceres, ‘26, into the person she is today. She says, “Soccer has taught me how to push myself and stay disciplined even when it’s difficult. It is my outlet when things are difficult, and it is where I can truly be free and focus all my energy on honing my craft. Soccer has given me my best friends and relationships that have shaped me in so many ways.” This year, she is the captain of Boulder High School Women’s Soccer (BHSWS).
Becoming captain of a team that graduated eight seniors the year prior is no easy task, but after 14 years of playing soccer, Ceres is ready to take on the challenge. BHSWS is a historically strong program, shown especially in last year’s performance, where they finished the season with a 13-2-2 record. Included among those 13 wins were victories over the Fairview Knights for the second year in a row and a 6-0 league record, making the team the Rocky Mountain League champions. The team also made a playoff appearance for the second year in a row.
This year, Ceres hopes BHSWS performs similarly. However, with the aforementioned loss of eight seniors, including six starters, three captains, and the team’s only goalie, Ceres acknowledges that this season is going to look different than last year. She says, “This season is different for us because it is a rebuilding year, but also one with tremendous potential. Even though we lost a remarkable class, we are returning with a very talented group and bringing in a really deep freshman class. We will be a young, relatively inexperienced team, but I believe that if we commit to working together, being gritty, and playing with pride, we can be successful.”
When asked what she was most looking forward to this year, she said, “I am most excited for continuing to build a hard-working, loving environment that will anchor the program for the years to come. I’m excited to use effort, passion, commitment, and love to foster a positive environment where everyone can develop as both soccer players and as people, as well as create meaningful friendships and joyful memories.”
Ceres’s outlook on what a rebuilding year means represents the uniqueness of the BHSWS program. Instead of feeling fearful about what having a young team may mean, Ceres is excited about the potential and eager to foster player growth. BHSWS operates differently from many club and high school soccer teams, focusing on community and team culture alongside success on the field, recognizing that the two go hand in hand. As Ceres says, “BHSWS is so special because it is a genuine community. Everyone gives everything they have for the common goal, which develops a unique bond within the team. Practices, weekly team dinners, and spending time together outside of soccer lead to amazing friendships being formed.”
No matter how focused BHSWS is on creating a positive environment, the team remains committed to being fiercely competitive. Ceres stated, “This year, I want the team to be a relentless competitor in everything that we do. I want us to play with grit, unity, and an absolute hunger to win. I hope to not just play, but truly compete, in every game we have, and leave a lasting impression on our opponents of discipline, passion, and determination.” As a captain this year, Ceres understands that she has a responsibility to push her teammates to meet this competitive standard and says she has always been a “lead-by-example” type.
Ceres plays defensive center midfield, where she supports the attack by circulating the ball around the field, and supports the defense by winning battles in the midfield. In this role, Ceres has found incredible success. Last season, she scored the opening goal of the year with a penalty kick against Arvada West and assisted fellow captain Zoe Silver, ‘26, on her game-winning goal against Prairie View, which was crucial in clinching the league title. Last season, Ceres also earned a spot on the All-State 2nd team, an honor that has only been given to one other BHSWS player in program history.
Thanks to her pivotal role on the field and many accolades, Ceres has committed to play Division I soccer next year at Boston University (BU). Although she struggled to get attention from colleges at first, her academic and playing abilities eventually got her noticed. Ceres said this process of being unnoticed at first showed her “how badly I wanted to play college soccer at a respectable academic institution.” Ceres ultimately chose BU as the place to further her academic and athletic career because of the culture of the team, which she says is one that has “similar elements to that of BHSWS.” At BU, Ceres hopes to continue enjoying her favorite part of soccer, which is that it makes her push herself to get better every day.
Before she heads off to Boston, Ceres is focused on making her last season at BHSWS a great one. With this being her fourth season on varsity, she knows what the culture of the team is like, and is excited to keep enjoying “the love and support” of her teammates and working with them to “maintain an environment where everyone can strive for success and feel respected and valued while doing so.”
Personally, Ceres is using her final season to “improve in creating more impactful plays going into the attack and develop a greater defensive presence, especially aerially, and grow as a leader to help ensure that everyone has a good season, and set the foundation for the team going forward.”
The team plays its first game on March 6th against Arvada West. This game will be an exciting first look into how the young team, backed by Ceres, will perform this year. Go out and catch Ceres play in her last season as a Panther before she heads off to Boston!
