By Jason Erickson
Faith Webber had already cemented her legacy. She held nearly every major offensive record in Utah Valley University history, led the nation in goals per game in 2024, and guided the Wolverines to three consecutive WAC regular-season championships. Her collegiate career had seemingly reached a near-perfect conclusion.
Until it didn't.
In a surprise twist, Webber was granted one more year of eligibility following an NCAA rule change that no longer counts junior college seasons toward the four-year limit. Suddenly, the player who had already given so much to UVU, on and off the field, was back for a final, unexpected encore.
"It was honestly a no-brainer for me," Webber said. "It just didn't feel right to be done. I wasn't ready to leave Utah, this community, or this team. When I found out I had another year, it was the easiest decision I've ever made."
Webber's return comes at a momentous time for the program.
She will make her official return in the most anticipated home opener in program history, the first-ever match in the new UCCU Stadium against in-state rival and Big 12 foe Utah on Aug. 18.
The debut season at UCCU Stadium features what is unquestionably the toughest home slate in program history, with marquee non-conference matchups against national powers Utah (Aug. 18), California (Aug. 28), Auburn (Sept. 1), LSU (Sept. 4), and Gonzaga (Sept. 8). It's a schedule rarely, if ever, seen at the mid-major level and underscores UVU's rising profile on the national stage. The non-conference slate also includes challenging road matches at crosstown rival BYU (Sept. 12), Weber State (Sept. 15), and Utah State (Sept. 18), making this one of the most demanding starts to a season in program history.
"It's one of the best stadiums in the country," she said. "It sets the tone. We're not the underdogs anymore, we expect to win. The mindset has shifted. We're not hoping to compete, we're here to dominate."
That shift in mentality mirrors Webber's own evolution. After a 2024 season that saw her break her own single-season scoring record with 18 goals and earn WAC Offensive Player of the Year honors, she returns not out of personal ambition, but purpose.
That purpose was sharpened by the sting of defeat. Following a heartbreaking 3-2 WAC Tournament semifinal loss to California Baptist last season in Abilene, Texas, Webber boarded the team charter flight back to Orem feeling a deep sense of unfinished business.
"It was crushing," she recalled. "I remember sitting on that flight, looking out the window and thinking, 'This isn't how my story should end.' I wasn't ready to be done. I wasn't ready to say goodbye to this team or this place. That moment haunted me. It still does."
"This year, it's even more about the team," she said. "I've already done the hard stuff. Now it's about leadership, consistency, and doing everything I can to bring home the WAC Tournament trophy. That's the one thing I haven't accomplished, and it keeps me up at night."
She's come close, leading UVU to three straight regular-season crowns and the program's first-ever at-large NCAA Tournament berth in 2022. She has also appeared in two WAC Tournament semifinal matches and one WAC Tournament championship game, coming painfully close to completing the conference double. She's scored game-winners against top-25 teams, earned Academic All-America honors, and recently been named the 15th-best player in the country by Top Drawer Soccer in its Preseason Top-100 List and one of the top forwards in the country on the United Soccer Coaches Players to Watch List. But more than anything, she's been the heart and soul of a program that has risen from underdog to contender.
"I've been on the field for every pivotal moment," Webber said. "The culture has stayed consistent, and the expectations have grown. I've been there for the first win over BYU, the win at USC, the first time we beat Utah, and of course the win at Michigan. I've seen it all, from when we were just trying to compete with ranked teams to now when we expect to win those games."
Much of that growth, Webber credits to her head coach, Chris Lemay.
"Chris has changed my life," she said. "He believed in me when I had question marks around me. He never judged me, just saw potential and poured into me. He's more than a coach. He's family."
Faith's journey to Utah Valley began in Grand Blanc, Michigan, a suburb of Flint. The daughter of a gym teacher and coach, she grew up in a tight-knit, competitive family. Her older sister Paige played soccer at Indiana and earned All-Big Ten honors, while her younger brother Jackson is now competing in track and field at Michigan State. The Webbers are Michigan through and through. Faith even officiated her mother's wedding and helped name her youngest brother Cooper, whose middle name, Marshall, is a tribute to Eminem.
She started her collegiate journey at Delta College, a small junior college in Michigan where scholarships weren't even allowed. That chapter proved transformational. In her two seasons at Delta, Webber led the team to a NJCAA Division III National Championship in 2020 and a national runner-up finish in 2021. She was named National Championship MVP after scoring six goals and recording three assists across three matches, and also earned All-American and All-League honors. During the 2020-21 season, she led the nation in goals, assists, and points, finishing with 24 goals and 12 assists in just 12 matches. That success gave her a fresh start, helped her grow in confidence, and ultimately opened the door to UVU.
"Junior college quite literally has been the most important part of my career," she said. "UVU has been amazing. But Delta gave me love, gave me belief. I still wouldn't be here if I hadn't gone there first."
And while her accolades could fill a record book, because they do, Webber hopes she's remembered for something more.
"I hope people say I was genuine. That I was loyal. That I brought joy and humility every day. I don't want to be remembered just for what I accomplished, I want to be remembered for how I made people feel."
Beyond the pitch, Webber has made her mark in the classroom, in sustainability initiatives on campus, and in mentoring teammates. She graduated from UVU with a Bachelor of Science in Psychology, earning an impressive 3.95 GPA, with minors in Environmental Science and Sociology. She is now pursuing a Master's in Public Administration, where she currently holds a perfect 4.0 GPA. She's a three-time Academic All-WAC honoree, a two-time United Soccer Coaches Scholar All-American, and a 2024 Academic All-America® selection by the College Sports Communicators. Webber plans to continue using her platform to advocate, inspire, and connect communities.
"I come from Flint, Michigan. I didn't grow up with much. Junior college gave me a chance, and UVU believed in me. I want to keep telling that story, to show others it's possible to make it, even when the odds are stacked against you."
This past summer, she trained with professional teams, played against soccer legend Carli Lloyd in The Soccer Tournament, and inspired young athletes from her hometown to believe in bigger dreams.
That summer tournament, a 7v7, winner-take-all event known as TST, offered one of the most surreal moments of Webber's career. In the opening match, she found herself on the same field as her childhood idol.
"I grew up watching Carli Lloyd score a hat trick in the World Cup on my living room couch," she said. "So to suddenly be on the field playing against her, it was unbelievable. I had a moment where I turned the ball over and realized, 'Oh no, that was to Carli Lloyd.' It was wild."
But perhaps the most emotional moment came after the match, when a fan in the crowd waved a Delta College t-shirt, Webber's junior college.
"She came up and said she played there too, and that she was inspired by my story," Webber said. "That brought me to tears. Because that's what this is really all about, to show people, especially from places like Flint or junior colleges, that this kind of journey is possible."
But when asked to reflect on her most meaningful moment at UVU, she doesn't hesitate: her return to Michigan in 2024, where she scored the game-winning goal against her home-state Wolverines with just 27 seconds remaining on the road against a nationally recognized Power Four opponent from the Big Ten Conference. This wasn't just any Michigan team. It was the University of Michigan, the one she grew up idolizing.
"Just being on that field, wearing the UVU jersey in front of my family, friends, and everyone who had been part of my journey, it was surreal," she said. "I had nothing to prove and everything to be thankful for. I felt free out there. It was the most emotional, inspiring moment of my career. I grew up watching games at Michigan. That night, I was the one making the memory."
Webber scored twice that night, including the match-winner that stunned the crowd at U-M Soccer Stadium. Her performance helped deliver one of the most significant victories in program history and added another unforgettable chapter to her legacy.
Now, in this final season, a season she never saw coming, Webber wants just one thing.
"I want to give everything back. To this team. To this school. To this community. They've given me everything. I just want to return the investment."
And maybe, finally, hoist that last trophy.
After that, Webber plans to keep playing professionally, but on her terms. She's had conversations with teams at the next level, and she's trained with both the Utah Royals and San Diego Wave of the NWSL. But she's focused on finding the right environment.
"I want to keep growing and enjoying the game," she said. "It's never been about the spotlight. It's about feeling like I belong, being part of a community, and continuing to inspire. Wherever that next chapter is, I just want it to feel like UVU, where I'm believed in and I can make an impact."
