This season, the Murray girls soccer team has gotten help from talented newcomers. One of them came from out of town—way out of town. 

Julie Groenning, a foreign exchange student from Norway, has been a welcome addition to the team. Groenning plays midfield where she helps to control the pace and flow of the game for Murray. She is an excellent ball handler and passer. She also has a high soccer IQ. Groenning scored a goal at Tooele on Sept. 11 and had an assist at home against Cottonwood Sept. 3. 

A junior, Groenning has been playing soccer since she was 6. She got involved in soccer thanks to a family member. 

“I got inspired by my older brother,” she said. “It seemed so fun watching him play, and I wanted to be a part of it.”

Groenning loves the competitive aspect of soccer. Mostly, however, she enjoys working hard with teammates and developing unity. She said it’s gratifying to set objectives and achieve them as a team. 

“What I love most about soccer is how close you get with your teammates as we work together towards a goal,” she said. “I continue to play because I love the game, and I want to reach my full potential within the sport.”

Murray has had some ups and downs this season. As of Sept. 26, the Spartans were 5-7-1 overall and 4-4-1 in Region 10, good enough for fourth place. At press time, Murray had an RPI ranking of 17. Murray is working on securing a possible first-round bye in the state tournament, which starts Oct. 10. 

The Spartans scored 19 goals and allowed 12 through the first nine region contests. In region play, Murray enjoyed wins over Tooele (4-2 on Aug. 19), Hillcrest (3-1 on Aug. 26), Cottonwood (2-0 on Sept. 3) and Cottonwood a second time (6-0 on Sept. 25). The team finished up the regular season at Jordan on Sept. 30 and then at home against Park City on Oct. 2. 

The Spartans have been competitive and aren’t far away from being much higher in the standings. 

In league action, three of the Spartans’ losses were by a single goal, with the fourth loss being a 4-2 setback at Park City on Sept. 9. Murray also had a game with Tooele on Sept. 11 that was postponed at halftime due to poor air quality. 

On the year, Groenning has been a key player on both offense and defense from her midfield position. Teammates Preslee Stock and Bailey Trujilo led the team in scoring through 13 games with four goals each. Abbi Christensen and Elsie DeMann each had two goals. 

Moving to the other side of the world to a foreign country has posed challenges and eye-opening experiences for Groenning, but her Murray teammates have helped to make her feel comfortable. She appreciates the friendship she has made on the team and how everyone has reached out to her on and off the field. 

“At Murray, I appreciate the commitment of the coaches to help each player develop,” Groenning said. “The support from my teammates has also been incredible, creating a positive and fun environment for me.”

Perhaps surprisingly, Groenning said there aren’t as many differences as people might think between soccer in the U.S. and soccer (or football) in Norway. She said there are some subtle differences in playing style. Plus, in Norway, schools don’t have their own teams. Rather, children and teenagers growing up only have club ball to choose from.

Groenning wouldn’t change her experience of being in the United States and playing soccer at Murray. She said it can be difficult being out of her comfort zone without so many familiar people and things around her. But she is grateful for her coaches, teammates and fellow classmates who are making this an unforgettable experience.

“I do miss my family and friends back home,” Groenning said. “It is definitely hard being so far away from my family and everything I’m familiar with. At the same time, I’m having a good time here, and I know this is as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for me.”

Groenning recommends foreign exchange programs and said it has taught her lessons she otherwise would not have learned. 

“This exchange year has definitely made me more independent, as I’ve had to rely on myself without my parents nearby,” she said. 

As for the Spartans, the remaining two games gave the team a chance to move up the standings and possibly improve their RPI ranking. The top eight seeds get first-round byes and second-round home matchups. The quarterfinals are also held on the home fields of higher-seeded teams, Oct. 17. The semifinals and finals will take place Oct. 21 and 25, respectively, at Zions Bank Stadium in Sandy. 

Last season, Murray went 12-6 overall and advanced to the second round of the Class 4A state tournament after beating Cottonwood 5-0 in round one. Murray then fell in the second round at Mountain View by the count of 5-0. The Spartans last advanced past the second round in 2021 when they lost to Bonneville in the quarterfinals 1-0. 

Murray is led by first-year head coach James McKenna. He has a young core of players who will be back next year to bolster the team. Murray will lose key seniors, including Bonnie Henderson and Amanda Shelton as well as Addy Simmons, DeMann, and Autumn Mead. λ