A series to share #smiles across our community through the achievements of our local youth, brought to you by Olsen Orthodontics.
The Vildbjerg Cup took place Aug. 1-4 in Denmark, and 16-year-old Timbree Mathill, a Riverton High School soccer player, participated in the tournament.
This is an international youth soccer—football, if you are in Europe—tournament for boys and girls between seven and 17 years old.
“We were told it’s one of the largest tournaments in Europe,” shared Shane Mathill, Timbree’s dad. “They hosted over 8,000 players in this tournament. And, I think they said, like, 21 countries or something, were scheduled to come play.”
Timbree plays for the Gillette Edge, a club team that played in the Yellowstone Premiere League. For the 2023-24 winter season, the league was comprised of 16 teams from Utah, Colorado, Nevada, Arizona, Idaho, and Wyoming.
After playing in Mesa, Arizona, and Las Vegas, Nevada, she was then handpicked for the Yellowstone Pursuit team, which is their international team.
“She started every game, played every game,” Shane noted. “She plays right back. She plays defense. Loves defense. And she played well.”
Yellowstone Pursuit came very close to winning the championship game at Vildbjerg. However, they lost one-zero, earning second place.
“Playing wise, it was so much more physical,” Timbree said about playing in Europe. “Girls were getting thrown, and it was nothing. Not even a foul.”
They also played a completely different style, focusing on their backline—something she wants to bring back to her high school team.
Timbree also shared some words of wisdom for up-and-coming soccer players or for those who may want to try the sport but are unsure.
“At least try it once, and if you don’t like it, you don’t have to do it for the rest of your life,” she said. “I think they’ll make a lot of friends doing it. And just like, put yourself out there. It’ll have so many more opportunities than just sports. I ended up going to Denmark and meeting a whole bunch of new people I’m probably going to be friends with for the rest of my life.”
Congratulations, Timbree! 🎉⚽️🎉⚽️
