Family ties fuel Hiland girls soccer’s memorable run

One of the great joys of sports is the opportunity for special moments to happen.

That happened this fall as the Hiland girls soccer team featured six Mullet girls who are all related. There are two sets of sisters — Italee and Minka and Chloe and Ally — along with their cousins Gabby and Claire. It’s a rarity that this happens in sports, but it proved to be part of the winning recipe for the Hawks this year.

“The dream has always been to get to state,” junior Chloe Mullet said. “Being able to get within one game of state with all these freshmen starting varsity and it being my family, it’s really cool.”

As for what it would mean to make it to state.

“It would be insane to put a banner into the Reese Center,” Chloe Mullet said.

Even though their season ended with a tough 4-0 setback to Fairbanks in the Division V regional finals, it didn’t erase the memories of the season.

“It’s so fun because I’ve never been able to play with my sister or all of us together before,” Chloe Mullet said. “It’s fun to hear all the Mullets being announced after each other and being able to play together. It’s really fun to be with them on the team.”

That also means this time of year, Thanksgiving will be one big event, with plenty to talk about and maybe some measuring moments. Either way, the Mullet family is truly embracing the moment.

“My favorite part of Thanksgiving is going to my grandma’s house where all my Mullet cousins are there,” Chloe Mullet said. “We all line up in a line for food, and it’s a race to whoever gets there first. They are the first person in line. Also sitting at the table, making fun jokes and just catching up to each other.”

“My favorite is just spending time together,” junior Italee Mullet said. “We all have a great Thanksgiving meal, and it’s just a great bonding time. It’s the best.”

Some of the best memories for Chloe and Italee Mullet when thinking back through the season, no surprise, start with family.

“When Ally scored in the last nine seconds against Norwayne, I was so proud and so happy for her,” Chloe Mullet said. “I remember running down the pitch and seeing her. She was just so happy, and I was like, ‘Hey, that’s my sister right there.’ I was so, so happy for her.”

“I never imagined that I’d be able to play with my sister,” Italee Mullet said. “Then I realized that she was going to play with us on the varsity. It’s crazy. I was so excited. I was like, ‘This is going to be a great year.’ Just to work together more and enjoy each other more.”

As for the actual game-time feel.

“It’s the best feeling playing with my sister,” Italee Mullet said. “She is in midfield and me on the side. We just pass back to each other, and it’s so fun. As for playing with my family, it’s such a great experience to play with them, especially at such a young age.”

Yes, there are struggles as one can easily imagine between siblings, but it’s the maturity that defines the Mullet family. Italee and Chloe didn’t hold back, smiling from ear to ear when talking about their sisters.

“She learned to talk more on the field, and she became a leader as a freshman,” Italee Mullet said. “I saw that growth in her throughout the season, and it’s just so cool to see.”

“It’s seeing Ally grow up,” Chloe Mullet said. “From being little and now being on a varsity level team, it’s just seeing how much she has improved from the beginning of the season to now, both as a person and as a player.”

And what about their sister are they most thankful for?

“I love her kindness. That’s a major big one. She is always there for me,” Italee Mullet said. “It’s her care for others, and I look up to her for that. Anytime I need to talk to her about anything, she’s always there for me, and it’s just a great thing.”

“That built-in connection,” Chloe Mullet said. “We yell at each other, but we know it’s not personal. Just being able to have a good connection no matter what.”

There are so many variables, far more than just getting to play a game. It’s the memories that the Mullet family has already created. It’s the memories to come, but it’s safe to say, as the Mullets race to get in line first for food and in the friendly banter afterward, the reasons for the season are plentiful. Thanksgiving is a time this family will cherish and rehash with laughs. It’s the joy of playing with a field full of Mullets, and the Hiland girls soccer program would have it no other way.