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Lexi Tuite brings state soccer titles to Celina
As millions watch the U.S. Women's National Team go for history at the Women's World Cup, Lexi Tuite has made some history of her own in Celina, which is a town, like so many in Texas, with a football heartbeat.
CELINA, Texas - Millions of girls have shared the same soccer dream.
"When I was younger, it was: I want to play USWNT, play pro, World Cup," Lexi Tuite recalled.
This week, Tuite and millions more will be watching the team of ladies that get to kick that dream around in real life, wearing Stars and Stripes on their jerseys while chasing an unprecedented accomplishment.
MORE: Where to watch the 2023 Women's World Cup in Dallas-Fort Worth
"I think it’s awesome to see that that’s just so possible and they’re making history together," Tuite said.
Tuite has made some history of her own in Celina. A town, like so many in Texas, with a football heartbeat.
"This was a big football town. They won eight, nine state titles," Tuite said.
When Tuite moved there from Frisco, the Celina girl’s soccer program wasn’t much.
"My freshman year, we had one coach, no trainers, and had to beg someone to be our goalie," she recalled.
What caught Tuite’s attention was the MVP plaque.
"I’m thinking I want to be on [the MVP plaque]," she said.
She is now, after leading the Lady Bobcats to back-to-back state titles and coming up clutch both times.
In 2022, Tuite stepped up, needing to score a penalty kick to clinch Celina’s first ever state title.
"I’m pretty sure I blacked out. I didn’t even really realize it was the winning kick until I turned around and oh my gosh, the winning kick. It was a really hard-fought game, so that final feeling of, oh my gosh we did it, it was relieving," she recalled.
This year, she found a way to top that, scoring 64 goals.
And in her final match, with an undefeated season on the line, Tuite did something no player had ever pulled off in a state title game.
[REPORTER: "You break a UIL record, five goals in one title game, what got into you?"]
"I don’t know, Jesus. Jesus got into me. He definitely helped me that entire game because that’s not something I could’ve done on my own," Tuite said.
Now, when fans go to Celina’s stadium, they’ll always be reminded that it isn’t just a football town.
"Getting our name on the board was really, really nice. And I really hope they do it again, and again, and again, and again," she said. "Celina will be going for a three-peat, but first it’s the USWNT team, first it is them, and I’m really excited to see what they do."
In bid for World Cup three-peat, USWNT aims for soccer's most elusive feat
At no point in the long history of the World Cup, dating back nearly a century for the men and since 1991 for the women, has a team managed to clinch three championships on the bounce and in very few cases has gotten anywhere close to doing so.
There’s 11 states represented on this year’s U.S. Women’s National Team, but sweltering hot Texas is not one of them.
In fact, the Lone Star State has not had a player on the roster now for five straight World Cup cycles, a sign of just how much more room there is for soccer to grow in this sports-crazed state.
[REPORTER: "When you think about the impact you’ve had in this community, how can you imagine the impact of a Texan being on that USWNT, scoring a goal to win a World Cup?"]
"I think that, you know, especially people being from Texas, we have a lot of pride in our state, so I think that that would be amazing to see it represented for sure," Tuite said.
Maybe that next Texan will come out of Celina, or maybe not.
Either way, Tuite and her teammates can always say they put Lady Bobcat soccer on the map.
And while time’s up on this part of her career, the clock will never run out on the championship bond she has with her teammates.
"It’s definitely a second family and always will be, now, and 10 years from now," she said. "And when we’re all soccer moms, we’ll still be family."
Tuite will begin her college career with Northern Colorado this fall.