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Reese Kennel Continues Soccer Legacy at Utah
9/17/2025 3:36 PM | Soccer
The youngest of three sisters, Kennel’s family guides her through her first season as a Utah Ute
For freshman defender Reese Kennel, soccer runs through her family's DNA. The youngest of three sisters, Kennel is the third of her sisters to reach the Division I level; her sisters Madi played at Northwestern and Riley currently plays at Loyola Maryland.
Growing up in Southern California, soccer was always around Kennel.
"Both my sisters have been playing since I learned to walk," Kennel said.
Kennel didn't kick her first soccer ball until she made her way off the United States mainland on a family vacation.
"I have a memory of when I was five, we were on vacation in Hawaii at a souvenir store when my dad put a ball at my feet; I kept kicking the ball with my left foot, so they knew that was my strong foot," Kennel said.
From that point on, Kennel fell in love with the sport and knew soccer was a journey she wanted to pursue. Following her sister's lead, Kennel worked tirelessly with her family's full support along the way.
"My sisters and dad are the reason I'm playing; my dad was my coach growing up and I would always train with my sisters. They've taught me everything I know," Kennel said.
Being the youngest of three sisters, Kennel consistently played with girls older than her. Doing this taught her a ton of valuable lessons that she carries with her to this day.
"They've always pushed me, I've learned so much from them. Training with them, they've never gone easy on me. It taught me a lot of toughness, and I hated it at the time, but I'm super grateful for that," Kennel said.
The work that Kennel had put in with her sisters had started to pay off. During her freshman year of high school, she was part of Redondo Union High School's DIIÂ CIF-SS and Regional title winning teams. Kennel's success carried over to her club team as Beach FC captured the National and Southwest Conference Championships in 2024. This was also the same year when she would officially sign her letter of intent to become a Utah Ute.
Coming from California, the Redondo Beach native liked the idea of staying close to home and believed Utah was the best fit for her. Kennel had worked for years leading up to the moment she signed on to become a member of the Utah soccer team and it was something special.
"Playing college soccer always seemed like the final goal, it's so exciting to be a part of it and rep the U," Kennel said.
Transitioning from high school to college athletics is a tough task, but it is something the Kennel family has gone through multiple times already. With Reese being the third sister to make the transition, she looks to her sisters to help ease the transition.
"It's definitely a big adjustment and you don't realize it until you're there in training. It's definitely been hard, but they [her sisters] are my number one sources of help and they've both been through the ups and down, so I'll just reach out to them if I'm struggling with anything," Kennel said.
Throughout the ups and downs one constant has always been there for Kennel, her family. The people who introduced Kennel to soccer, helped her fall in love with the sport and now get to see her play at the highest level. A lifetime of work paying off for the youngest Kennel sister.
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Growing up in Southern California, soccer was always around Kennel.
"Both my sisters have been playing since I learned to walk," Kennel said.
Kennel didn't kick her first soccer ball until she made her way off the United States mainland on a family vacation.
"I have a memory of when I was five, we were on vacation in Hawaii at a souvenir store when my dad put a ball at my feet; I kept kicking the ball with my left foot, so they knew that was my strong foot," Kennel said.
From that point on, Kennel fell in love with the sport and knew soccer was a journey she wanted to pursue. Following her sister's lead, Kennel worked tirelessly with her family's full support along the way.
"My sisters and dad are the reason I'm playing; my dad was my coach growing up and I would always train with my sisters. They've taught me everything I know," Kennel said.
Being the youngest of three sisters, Kennel consistently played with girls older than her. Doing this taught her a ton of valuable lessons that she carries with her to this day.
"They've always pushed me, I've learned so much from them. Training with them, they've never gone easy on me. It taught me a lot of toughness, and I hated it at the time, but I'm super grateful for that," Kennel said.
The work that Kennel had put in with her sisters had started to pay off. During her freshman year of high school, she was part of Redondo Union High School's DIIÂ CIF-SS and Regional title winning teams. Kennel's success carried over to her club team as Beach FC captured the National and Southwest Conference Championships in 2024. This was also the same year when she would officially sign her letter of intent to become a Utah Ute.
Coming from California, the Redondo Beach native liked the idea of staying close to home and believed Utah was the best fit for her. Kennel had worked for years leading up to the moment she signed on to become a member of the Utah soccer team and it was something special.
"Playing college soccer always seemed like the final goal, it's so exciting to be a part of it and rep the U," Kennel said.
Transitioning from high school to college athletics is a tough task, but it is something the Kennel family has gone through multiple times already. With Reese being the third sister to make the transition, she looks to her sisters to help ease the transition.
"It's definitely a big adjustment and you don't realize it until you're there in training. It's definitely been hard, but they [her sisters] are my number one sources of help and they've both been through the ups and down, so I'll just reach out to them if I'm struggling with anything," Kennel said.
Throughout the ups and downs one constant has always been there for Kennel, her family. The people who introduced Kennel to soccer, helped her fall in love with the sport and now get to see her play at the highest level. A lifetime of work paying off for the youngest Kennel sister.
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Players Mentioned
Defender
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