Sophia Butterfield Rembers G98: A Championship Journey Built on Friendship, Family, and Lasting Foundations

A Reflection by Sophie Butterfield Being on G98 Red was the most prominent experience of my youth development. I was on the team from the Developmental Program (U10 at the time) all the way through U18/U19 and went on to play at Western Washington University. Four state titles, three regional titles, and one national title later, I can confidently say that soccer was only a fraction of the skills I learned from my coaches, teammates, and the Eastside FC community. I also realize now I never really said it directly—but I played as a forward the entire time, primarily as a winger from start to finish.

Being on a travel team from a young age and representing both Eastside FC and the State of Washington, each player quickly learned how to conduct themselves with discipline, humility, and respect for the people and places surrounding us while making memories of a lifetime. We could not have had a better role model and coach to kick off the G98 Red program than Michelle French (or as we called her, “Frenchie”), former USWNT Olympic Silver Medalist. She was ruthlessly encouraging and engaging, and her energy, laughter, and lighthearted personality perfectly balanced her ability to foster healthy competition—always challenging us to be better than the day before through hard work, support, and respect for one another.

Often, the first couple years of a program are turbulent—players moving clubs, getting cut, or losing love for the game. Our team was different. Three years in, we had minimal loss from the original development group, growing primarily as we moved from 9v9 to full-sided play. When Frenchie was offered a position on the USWNT coaching staff, she was fully supported by our players and parents in taking that opportunity. Even after leaving, she remained present in our program, attending the National Championship with us and ensuring we were in good hands with our next coach, Tom Bialek.

I knew Tom (Bialek) long before I was old enough to play for the club, as he had coached my sister’s G95 Red team. He knew me as the 8-year-old who never tired—always retrieving balls during shooting drills or sprinting laps around the field for no reason other than joy. Once I was old enough, he helped give me opportunities to train with older teams while I waited to officially try out. Tom stepped into our team with immediate confidence, earning our trust and respect quickly, and in his first year as our coach, he led us to the 2013 National Championship.

Tom carried forward the values we built with Frenchie, and over the remaining years of the team, helped refine and guide us through the transition into young adulthood. Alongside our parents and teammates, he helped create a tight-knit, family-like environment where we could flourish both on and off the field.

Our team also had a real knack for fun. I don’t feel like I missed out on adolescence the way some athletes do in high-level travel sports. We were always laughing, joking, and hanging out together—just a group of best friends who also happened to be really good at soccer. Our parents were a huge part of that too, organizing countless creative team activities to keep us connected and off our phones while traveling. We had our own version of “The Amazing Race,” rode every ride at the Stratosphere in Las Vegas (including Tom bungee jumping off it), and always found time for beach days in California.

Back home, families hosted cabin bonding trips where we created team acronyms that reflected our values, tie-dyed shirts, and spent time kayaking, swimming, and simply growing closer as a group. One of my most special memories came in 2013 at Regionals in Hawaii. Since we often missed school for tournaments, we were especially disappointed to miss our middle school graduation—but our parents and coaches surprised us with a beachfront graduation ceremony at sunset, complete with speeches and a full celebration. It was more personal than anything we could have experienced at school. And to top it off, we won our first regional title that year.

After college, soccer remained a meaningful part of my life, but I transitioned into a new chapter as well. For the past six years, I’ve worked at Taylor Shellfish Farms in Bow, Washington. What started as a summer job between college soccer seasons turned into something I loved enough to stay with full time. In my role, I handle product quality and management for both the store and restaurant, which includes water testing, product organization, and plenty of bookkeeping.

More recently, I also stepped into coaching again, joining the girls soccer program at Orcas Island High School. I was part of the staff for their first season back in eight years after they previously didn’t have enough players to field a team. I’ve drawn heavily on the lessons, culture, and values I learned from G98 Red to help build the foundation of their program, and I’ll be continuing with them next season.

Looking back, G98 Red was never just about results, even though the trophies and championships are easy to list. It was about the people, the experiences, and the foundation it built for everything that came after—on the field, in my career, and in how I now try to give back through coaching.

Sophie with her parents on Senior Night at Bellevue High School in 2016