Carly Nelson loves everything about her goalkeeper's job description for the Utah women's soccer team, including the pressure of keeping opponents from scoring, having a unique view of the field and directing the defenders in front of her. “And, of course,” she said, “wearing the different colors.”
Nelson has worn distinctive goalie uniforms of gray, pink, blue and yellow at various times in her Ute career. Those color choices are her personal expressions, just as her parents once believed about her sexual orientation.
Being openly gay as a college athlete is part of Nelson’s complex story that includes a suicide attempt as a teenager in Utah County, an evolving relationship with her family and recent health issues, all while thriving as a face of Ute soccer.