Davis Women Creating a True Legacy

When Anna Maria Gilbertson made her professional debut for the Houston Dash nearly a decade ago, she became one of the first female Davis Legacy alumni to reach that level of success.

Fast forward to 2024 and the size of the pathway that Gilbertson first took has grown exponentially, something she’s been able to enjoy as she returned to the club this season as an assistant coach.

No longer are opportunities for women in the pro game rare, and few clubs in Northern California have helped guide female players into the next portion of their careers as well as Davis Legacy Soccer Club.

In the past 10 years, at least a dozen Davis Legacy current players and alumni have represented youth or full national teams, including the United States (Maya Doms, Erica Grillione, and Elena Vera), Mexico (Ari Calderon, Janae Gonzalez, and Mia Villegas), the Philippines (Sidra Bugsch and Jenna Zuniga), Costa Rica (Gilbertson), Guam (Sierra Ruhel), Panama (Gianna Hall), and Romania (Daniela Ghibanescu).

This success has been mirrored at the club level where Doms was drafted No. 8 overall in the 2024 NWSL Draft by Bay FC, joining fellow former Legacy players in the top division of American pro soccer like Madison Ayson (Houston Dash), Janae DeFazio (KC Current), and Kelsey Hill (Angel City FC).

And it’s a success all born from the same location, a small patch of fields just east of the Davis city limits.

Gilbertson remembered all the extra effort staff put in during and after her training sessions, hosted on just three fields at the time, as being paramount to her development–coaches would often stay following the conclusion of practice to help her and her teammates work on nailing down perfect technique.

But it wasn’t just the technical skills that stayed with her.

“You can teach anyone the tactics of soccer, but what (former Legacy coaches Carlos and Jesus Rocha) helped me learn was to have the instincts of the game and the feeling of it while you’re in it,” she said. “For me soccer is so instinctual, the feel of the game. Part of that was because our training environment was playing small sided games, working on our touches, cone work, getting touch perfect. The creative aspect of it is so important for my side of the game specifically, they really helped me emphasize that aspect, go where you feel on the field, they really inspired that type of play.”

That extra work led Gilbertson to be scouted by Notre Dame after current Legacy Tournament Director Mark Torguson took her team to Disney Cup, setting the stage for her eventual professional career.

Though Gilbertson was one of the first to make it to the highest level, Maya Doms has arguably been the most successful, playing in the U17 World Cup while a Legacy player before winning a College Cup with Stanford and making her NWSL debut in Bay FC’s inaugural season this year.

By the time Doms came around Legacy, the program had expanded in terms of number of teams, fields, and overall scope.

“When I played for Davis Legacy I lucked out on playing with some really talented players and coaches,” Doms said. “My teammates made trainings challenging in order to have a good playing environment when I wasn’t traveling for youth national team camps. I mean, almost every single player on my club team during high school ended up going on to play Division I soccer for their college careers.”

Doms’ words are echoed by current player Elena Vera, who has also played for the U.S. youth national teams.

“Just the environment around here really prepares you for so much,” Vera said. “There are so many top players and training with them and the coaching staff we have really prepared for what you want to do college wise or future wise. It’s been an honor to be around these types of environments for the last few years.”

Vera is coming off a summer in which she captained a Gothia Cup-winning side for NorCal Premier Soccer’s PDP in Sweden, one which also included current Legacy players Madison Lujan and Sam McNiven (fellow Legacy player Miya Alamares also played in the tournament for a different NorCal PDP team).

For Vera, successful Legacy alums like Doms have become an inspiration to emulate.

“Once I saw that Maya Doms went to the NWSL, it was just a surreal moment,” she said. “I want to go to the NWSL at some point, that’s a dream for any young girl my age. I see players like her as role models, Maya Doms has helped me see that if she can do it, I can too.”

“I just love being here, I love the people here, the coaches, the environment overall, playing here at Legacy with such beautiful fields is a blessing every day to just come out here and do what I love,” Vera added.

Regardless of which stage of their careers they’re currently in, all the women who have come through the club share the one thing Vera currently enjoys: a love of playing for Davis Legacy.

“It’s awesome to see the success (of all these women) and see how great the club has continued to do,” Gilbertson said. “It’s crazy coming back and seeing how far the club has come. It was just the three fields when I played there and that was it. Now there’s strength and conditioning, periodization based on what game you’re playing, how far we’ve come is just wild. Being an assistant coach now and seeing it at the level it’s at is really fun. I love Davis as a town and I love the club. I love the fields, the directors, all my past coaches, I appreciate and enjoy the environment.”

Added Doms: “In the end I’m just so proud to have played for and represented Davis Legacy. I was so lucky to drive seven minutes from my house to train with teammates and under coaches who shaped me into the player I am now. Davis Legacy offered everything I needed to get me to where I am now and it’s been great to see the club grow ever since I tried out for my U10 team way back in the day.

International

Professional