Minutes before the collision, Kate Cook (‘27) was sprinting up and down the field, dominating the game with her controlled dribbling. After scoring a goal, Kate hustled back to her team’s half of the field. Chasing the play, she slammed into the referee on her track. They crashed together in a blur of motion, the force of the collision snapping them both off course. The fall was the kind of unlucky event that could have caught any veteran player off guard, but Kate simply picked herself up, shook off the surprise, and jumped right back into action.
That moment captures exactly who Kate Cook is: calm under pressure, professional in attitude, and endlessly dedicated.
Her soccer journey started when she was five, when Kate’s parents enrolled her in a variety of sports classes. At the age of 5, she was going back and forth, trying different types of sports, ranging from volleyball to soccer. Yet, Kate still found herself drawn to the game she loved most: soccer. She recalled in this moment of realization that soccer was her sport; something that she couldn’t give up.
“I was at volleyball practice, and afterwards, I just told my mom that I needed to go back to soccer,” Kate said. “I just missed it, and soccer has such great competition [it feels perfect for a competitive person like me].”
Having grown up with the game, Kate continued to pursue her love of soccer and other sports at Webb. She juggled both club soccer and being captain of the varsity girls’ volleyball team in the fall, captain of varsity girls’ soccer in the winter, and even found time to take part in a spring sport like swim or softball.
By her sophomore year at Webb, Kate Cook was already a powerhouse of the varsity girls’ soccer team. Being an underclassman on a varsity team is a feat not many can do, especially when your team is heading to the CIF playoffs. However, the chance to follow her sister’s footsteps and bring her team to win a championship was what made her soccer journey at Webb even more special.
Her sister, Abbey Cook (‘23), was her role model and best friend. Abbey was someone for Kate to look up to during tough practices, a person she could celebrate with after big wins, and someone who understood the pressures and joys of the sport in a way no one else could.
Their connection was felt both on and off the field, but nowhere was it stronger than during the 2024 season, when Kate’s soccer team beat the odds and brought back a championship victory for Webb girls’ soccer, just like her sister Abbey’s team did in the 2023 season.
“We were the underdogs,” Kate said. “No one expected us to have made it this far and proving them wrong by winning this was just great.”
Experiences like this are what make soccer so important to Kate. For her, soccer is more than just a game; it serves as a mentor, teaching her how to lead and communicate through the people around her. Over the years, Kate found herself surrounded by teammates and captains who taught her the importance of keeping the energy up.
“My freshman year here, the captains really kept up the energy every game, every practice, and they just made [soccer] fun,” Kate said.
Now, as a captain herself, Kate reminds herself to carry that same spirit forward, striving to be the leader who helps her teammates find joy in soccer as she did. With two soccer seasons left at Webb ahead of her, Kate continues to thrive as an indispensable part of the girls’ soccer program. Already committed to a Division I spot on the University of Utah’s women’s soccer team, she is proof that girls who bounce back from a fall will continue to move forward, grow, and find their way.
