This article recaps a segment from The Rush's Friday, Oct. 30, 2026 episode. Watch the full show.
Waterford senior Jessica Miller spent most of her career keeping the ball out of the net. On Oct. 24, she scored the goal that won the Ravens a second straight state title. Miller's goal, less than two minutes into the second half, beat Maeser Prep 1-0 in the 2A girls championship at Zions Bank Stadium, according to the Deseret News.
"My only goals are off of corner kicks," Miller said. On the winner, sophomore Berklee Hasebi "just slotted it right through. And I beat the last defender and kicked it in with the side of my foot and was scared it was not going in for a minute," she said. "Everyone, we were all going crazy because we knew if we broke it open we'd help hold the lead."
From 0-4 to champions
Waterford lost its first four games of the season. "We went in very skeptical and not really knowing how the season was going to go," Miller said. "But over time, we kept getting in our stride and we worked really, really hard to get connected."
The Ravens also lost to Maeser Prep 1-0 in double overtime in September. Miller said that loss "spurred us on to get that fire lit under us and to want it really bad in the final."
From goalkeeper to the back line
Miller played center back her first two years, then took over in goal as a junior and made a save in penalty kicks to help win last year's title. This season, with sophomore Clara Mansfield in net, Miller moved back to the field. "We felt that our backline needed a little extra support and a little more leadership," she said. She paired with Savvy Williams at center back, and Mansfield posted her eighth shutout in the final.
She praised junior midfielder Caroline Madsen, who she said led the team in assists. "Even when she's not on her game, she still is like the top 99.9%," Miller said. Fellow senior Lexee Hasebi "works her butt off on the field, but off the field she will hype you up," Miller said. "If you have her in your corner, you know you're going to do something great."
A national champion rower headed to the Big Ten
Soccer is only part of Miller's résumé. She won a U17 national championship with Utah Surf and a 2026 scholastic rowing national title, and she will row at the University of Minnesota. She started rowing as a freshman. "Salt Lake is not really a rowing-centric place, let's just say," she said, crediting coach Dan Salerno, who previously coached at the University of Washington.
Miller said visualization is a big part of how she handles big moments. "I do it every night, especially before some big game," she said. "It really gets your mind in the right space to believe that you can accomplish these things." She also does homework on the bus to make room for the things she loves. "Thinking about what you can do right then in the moment and being like, okay, this is my life and how can I change it for myself."
See Waterford's full season on MaxPreps.