Starting at the young age of six, junior Tesia Mikuta’s passion for soccer bloomed, and hasn’t stopped growing since. Not only has she played at an extremely competitive level with her club soccer team, but throughout her athletic career playing soccer at Saucon Valley High School, she has formed a family while growing as a player. She is currently leading her team into a great season with a current record of 8-0.
Mikuta has decided to continue her love for soccer for four more years at The University of Tennessee, and in doing so she joins the small group of students graduating from Saucon Valley who are recruited to continue playing sports at the collegiate level along with her high school teammate, senior Ava Riehl, who is committed to play Division 1 soccer at Arkansas State University. Both Tesia and Ava are players that serve as role models to younger athletes with desire to continue playing the sport they love.
“It’s still so cool to me knowing both of us are going D1 and can destroy other teams during high school season,” said Mikuta.
Mikuta’s options were not only limited to the University of Tennessee, as she also received an offer from The University of Iowa. The interest in Tennessee was returned after Mikuta had visited the beautiful campus.
After her official visit, Mikuta could tell that it would be a good fit for her stating, “I chose Tennessee because I really liked the coach, I wanted to play in the SEC, the school itself is really run and in a good location!”
Looking ahead to attending the University of Tennessee, she is excited for the community aspect both the team and campus will provide for her. When referring to meeting new people and friends in such an entirely different setting, Mikuta says, “I’ll hopefully get used to it quickly and it’s still on the east so not too far away from home!”
Through her club team, FC Delco, she has attended numerous competitive tournaments and games competing against some of the best young female soccer athletes. Fans and parents soon after the games begin realize she is the player to look out for.
“Those defenders just went down like bowling pins,” quoted by an anonymous source after watching Tesia break ankles and get by line after line of defense.
The Saucon Valley High School Girls Soccer team for the 2024 fall season is a team that should become a big threat to any team in and outside of the colonial league. The team contains insane talent from all different players around the field that allow them to connect and thrive as players. Through her high school team, Tesia has found a family amongst the many other talented student athletes on the team, and together they are building momentum towards a great season and hopefully championship season ending. Players on both varsity and junior varsity constantly look up to her as a teammate and as a role model. She remains a player that keeps the environment intense and competitive through her insane footwork and speed.
“I’M SO EXCITED to play at such a high level, it’s gonna be challenging but also so so fun!!!” Mikuta said.
