“It has always been soccer.”
From the minute she dove into the net at eight years old, UBC’s fourth-year goalkeeper Dakota Beckett knew she wanted to play soccer. While her other teammates hated being picked as the goalie, Beckett thrived, her passion for the position only growing with every save. Now, hundreds of games later, her dream of playing professionally is bigger than ever.
Beckett’s love for the sport was sparked by her father, whose own soccer journey left a lasting mark on her childhood. She grew up watching him play, and just knew she wanted to do the same. That initial inspiration has carried her through years of dedication and hard work.
But pursuing a career as a professional hasn’t always been met with resolute support.
“They are always like ‘oh, what is your backup plan?’ Because how is that really going to happen?” Beckett said. “Now that we’ve gotten a professional league in Canada, it is very much possible for any little girl to grow up and just go play football in their backyards. I don’t know if boys get asked … ‘What is your plan B?' as much.”
Beckett’s journey hasn’t been without its challenges. Balancing the demands of being a student athlete at UBC, in one of Canada’s best soccer programs, has required discipline and focus.
“I just got to stay on top of it, and prioritize what is important,” she said. “Soccer is my priority.”
I don’t know if boys get asked … ‘What is your plan B? as much.”
As a goalkeeper, Beckett knows everything about pressure, but she knows she is not alone.
“I have always been told ‘if it goes through me, it’s got to go through ten other players in front of me,’ and I think that is the mindset for my teammates as well.”
Beckett also coaches youth soccer, which has given her a distinctive approach to leadership and has shown her how gender impacts kids' attitudes in the game.
“There are a lot of timid girls that I’ve played with, and when I see that, it is like ‘ok, a leader needs to step in, and if nobody else is doing it, I guess I have got to take that on,’” she explained. “I coach little boys too and … they are a bit more vocal and more of their own leaders, whereas you have to push the leadership out of the girls a little bit.”
Her leadership has strengthened with the help of the Karina LeBlanc Foundation, which empowers women athletes through mentorship. Beckett and other mentees went on a retreat, where they watched a Portland Thorns game and participated in leadership workshops.
“Tapping into your ‘true north’ is what we call it — it is like your drive and your purpose in life and using that to tap into your leadership abilities, to be able to help others and change the world in any small way we can,” she said.
With graduation nearing, Beckett has her sights set on the Northern Super League, Canada’s professional women’s soccer league.
“That is the top choice,” she said. “I am hoping to get my foot in the door with some clubs there. Hopefully, I will be able to stay at home and play professionally instead of having to go abroad or far away from home.”
February 5 was National Girls and Women in Sport Day.
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