A Voice From The Back
By Craig Lawson
Freshman goalkeeper Ava de Leest began making her mark at Boise State before she visited the City of Trees.
“From the first time I saw Ava play with her club team, Legends FC, I knew she would be the real deal at the collegiate level,” Boise State Soccer Assistant Coach Liz Ruiz said.
Ruiz should know. She was standout goalkeeper with the Broncos from 2008-11 leaving the program with records for career save percentage (.832), goals against average (1.03) and shutouts (17).
The save percentage record still stands and Ruiz coached Genevieve Crenshaw (2021-24) who raised the bar with now program bests for goals against average (0.83) and shutouts (29). With Crenshaw’s departure, Ruiz was in search of a replacement when she saw de Leest play for the first time.
“She carried herself with a rare combination of confidence and composure-an aura that immediately stood out,” Ruiz said.
A native of Fullerton, California, de Leest began playing soccer at age 5.
“I started playing soccer because both my brothers played recreationally,” de Leest said. “I played youth soccer for a couple of years and then wanted to be more serious about it so I started playing club soccer when I was 7 or 8.
“I played on the field and in goal for a few years. I realized I was good at being a goalkeeper and I liked being able to tell my friends I was going to stop their shots and then do it.”
A recruiting visit to Boise came shortly after Ruiz’s initial observation of de Leest.
“I had a couple of other offers,” de Leest said. “Originally, I did not want to go out of state. But, I loved the coaching staff at Boise State and I loved how Boise has a college town feel, but is still a city.”
Immediately after her visit, de Leest committed to the Broncos and started focusing on being the next great Boise State goalkeeper.
“I knew there was not a starting keeper coming back,” de Leest said. It was a goal of mine to take the starting spot. The prep before school was a lot of training. When training camp started here, I was finally able to show the coaches what I can do. Playing with the backline specifically, I think I established myself as a leader.”
At 5-foot-6, de Leest is not an imposing figure, but has intangibles that have made an impact in her first season with the Broncos.
“Ava has grown at an exponential rate since being able to work with Liz and (redshirt sophomore goalkeeper) Molly (McCabe) daily,” Boise State Soccer Head Coach Jim Thomas beamed. “She brought elite athleticism and approach to the table, but has handled the stress, pressure and situations presented to a Division I keeper impeccably. Her ability to lead, claim crosses and distribute the ball already has her at the top of the conference. The sky’s the limit for this kid.”
In the season opener at Idaho State de Leest assisted on Boise State’s goal and made four saves in a 1-1 tie with the Bengals.
McCabe started the second match of the year (a draw at Southern Utah) before de Leest returned to the net for victories over Utah Tech and Montana. The next match was a 3-1 loss to CSU Bakersfield and de Leest was replaced by McCabe in the 63rd minute.
“I tried to hit the reset button as quickly as possible,” de Leest said. “It’s hard to dwell on the past. That is something I have struggled with and I’ve been trying to get better at. There is nothing I can do about it at that point.”
Following the loss to CSU Bakersfield, de Leest started against Weber State and has not been off the field since. The Broncos finished the nonconference portion of their schedule with four additional winless outings, but flipped a switch when Mountain West play started.
“It took us a while to grow as a team,” de Leest said. “We have a young squad and it took us time to get to the point where we are now. During the low point of the season, we knew if we kept getting better every day, stayed together and kept doing it for each other, eventually it was going to turn around.”
The first-year Bronco added, “I had to earn everybody’s trust. One of my bigger strengths has always been my communication. It is my job to understand what the role of each defender is, how they play and what they need to do based on what the opponent is doing. Performing technically while understanding mentally what the other team is doing and how we are supposed to play off of that has been a huge learning point for me.”
If you ask Ruiz, de Leest has been a quick study.
“Ava has stayed true to who she really is, poised and mature beyond her years,” Ruiz said. “Her future as a Bronco is incredibly bright and she is proving every day that leadership doesn’t have to wait for experience. Ava performed beyond our expectations. I’m confident she’ll continue to push herself, inspire those around her, and build a legacy that will lead to greatness and hell of a Bronco career.
The relationships de Leest had built with McCabe and Ruiz have been important to her development, but it is the relationship with her dad, Aaron that she cherishes on gameday.
“After getting some touches, I’ll get something to eat and go back to my dorm,” de Leest said. “I might take a nap. I usually like to do something before I head to the facility to get my mind going. I might do homework and I always call my dad before a game. I just talk to him about his day and he will talk to me about how I am feeling about the game that day mentally and physically. He always gives me a little pep talk.”
The pep talks seem to be working as de Leest and the Broncos are currently 6-0-2 in the Mountain West and play at Grand Canyon tonight before wrapping up conference action against Utah State at home, Oct. 30.
The pep talks seem to be working as de Leest and the Broncos are currently 6-0-2 in the Mountain West and play at Grand Canyon tonight before wrapping up conference action against Utah State at home, Oct. 30.
Boise State is seeking to become the first MW program since San Diego State in 2014-15 to win back-to-back outright regular season titles. The Broncos can accomplish the feat with a win over the Lopes before hosting the MW Championship, Nov. 2-8.
A tournament championship would send the Broncos to the NCAA Championship field of 64 for the first time since 2019.
I loved how Boise has a college town feel, but is still a city.Ava de Leest
