Zags to Zephyr: Former GU standouts Sophia Braun, Jodi Ulkekul delighted to be part of Spokane’s first pro women’s team

Sophia Braun and Jodi Ülkekul walked onto the field at ONE Spokane Stadium a few weeks ago, stepping onto turf that when they were first playing in Spokane, was a surface parking lot.

Now the two former Gonzaga Bulldogs are professionals, members of Spokane Zephyr FC, the first women’s team of its kind in Spokane.

Their journey back to the city continues Saturday with the club’s inaugural game. Zephyr FC hosts Fort Lauderdale United FC at ONE Spokane Stadium at 6 p.m. All USL Super League games will stream on Peacock.

The first professional women’s game will be a historic moment for Spokane. The two Zags will be contributors to a team that is sure to rile up emotions.

“You’re not going to be able to experience that until you experience it, and we’re going to have to handle that,” Ülkekul said. “And it might be a bit chaotic, it might be a bit overwhelming, but at the end of the day, we are professionals.”

Braun and Ülkekul have experience playing in front of crowds as the two have extensive time with pro clubs, Ülkekul for teams in Spain (CD Castellón) and Italy (AS Roma), as well as the Seattle Reign – while Braun spent time with León Femenil in Mexico and 34 appearances with the Argentina National Team, fifth most on the recent squad.

But on Saturday, they will be officially unveiled as members of Zephyr FC for the first time on game day.

The two have an overlapping history, if only for a short time.

It was 2018 when Braun and Ülkekul intersected at Gonzaga, Braun a new freshman and Ülkekul a senior captain.

“I’ve always just loved Spokane, and I have amazing memories of my time at GU and honestly, I really think being at GU really developed kind of my love and passion for soccer,” Braun said.

Braun was unsure what her future held when she showed up to campus, but through the coaching staff and her experience, it became clear that there was an opportunity for the next level.

And being able to play professionally in Spokane?

“Getting to kind of go away from Spokane strengthened my love for being here,” Braun said. “I always knew if there was an opportunity for me to go back to Spokane, I would love to continue playing here and in this community and with all the people here, and obviously my siblings are here (at Gonzaga), and I just have a lot of connections. It’s pretty close to home.”

She left Spokane last year and visited in December, but there was another stop in between returning to the PNW.

It appeared that her wish didn’t seem possible as she had just signed with the Kansas City Current of the National Women’s Soccer League in January.

She spent most of the first half of 2024 in Kansas City, preparing for their season. She didn’t get the opportunities she was hoping for, so she reached out to Josh McAllister, the head of performance for USL Spokane to see if an option to go to Spokane was possible.

McAllister had tried to recruit Braun to Spokane before the Current signing, but the agreement had already been made.

“We jumped on a phone call, and things moved pretty quick from there, which I was grateful for,” she said.

The Current sent Braun on a season-long loan to the Zephyr for the 2024-25 season.

As for Ülkekul, she also talked with McAllister, who she said was the brain trust behind building the squad out as the front office searched for its head coach.

The two spoke while Ülkekul was with the Reign rehabbing an injury and he expressed to her how this opportunity was a wonderful chance to be a part of something special.

After meeting with McAllister during a trip to Spokane for a GU women’s soccer alumni weekend, they kept in contact for about a year and a half before Ülkekul wanted to make the move to Spokane happen.

It felt like a last resort for Ülkekul, not because of the city or the team, but because her career has sent her all over the globe as she hunted for a place to leave a mark.

“It ended up being the biggest dream come true that I could have ever asked for. And it was just such a God thing with how it worked out with timing,” Ülkekul said.

She went to an open tryout in Olympia to show that her quality deserves a spot on the roster.

“This is exactly where I want to be,” Ülkekul said. “I know it’s exactly where I need to be, I feel called to be here. I feel like this is just absolutely perfect for my personal situation, and selfishly, I’m just really glad that this is a thing.”

Expectations are bubbling for the Zephyr and families and friends from around the country will be in attendance to witness their daughters, sisters and nieces take the field.

For Braun and Ülkekul, they are from the Pacific Northwest, so their families travel plans will be easier to accommodate than some.

Ülkekul is from Sammamish, Washington (Eastlake HS) and Braun is from Beaverton, Oregon (Jesuit HS).

Both expect to see some familiar faces mulling around the stands.

“Honestly, my parents are superstars, and they made their way to at least a few games wherever I ended up, and so they were really great about coming,” Ülkekul said. “My sisters, my in-laws, my friends, my friends from college, friends who are still kind of local, friends from Idaho. I have such a big group coming.

“It’s not just my job and my dream, it’s their dream to watch me, and it’s really, really cool to just be able to give them that experience.”

Braun is excited to continue her promising career and to make her parents – specifically her Argentine grandparents – proud.

Her mother left Argentina when she was 23, so soccer is in Braun’s blood, with most of her affection for soccer coming from her grandpa.

“He solidified my love for the game,” she said.

Braun would visit Argentina and witness the fanatics surrounding the Argentinian players. Soccer fans are just a different breed in South America.

“We would get to go visit down there, the soccer scene and community in Argentina is wild and I tell everybody that if they love soccer here, they need to go experience it in Argentina, because it is absolutely incredible,” she said.

Braun, born in the United States but with Argentinian grandparents and mom, could choose to represent either country.

She chose the sky blue and white striped jersey emboldened with the Sun of May.

“It felt really special to me, because it was about, like, a lot more than just myself,” she said.

Braun said that because she was born in the States, she wasn’t able to absorb much of her mom’s culture and traditions.

“I think it was so special for her to kind of like have me reconnected to such a big part of her identity and her past, so that was so special for me, and also my grandparents,” she said.

This will be the first time the Zephyr players will don their basalt black, wheat gold and cloud white jerseys for a game, so as the game creeps closer and the imagination becomes reality, the nerves will be inching higher and higher.

For Ülkekul, it will be her first official gameday experience in more than two years since she was in Louisville with the Reign for a tournament game.

A mixture of injuries and complications from those surgeries placed her on a confusing, winding road toward recovery.

But now, she is ready to contribute her skills and leadership in whatever form the team requires.

“I have so much confidence in my ability to just be exactly what this team needs, whether that’s on the pitch or on the bench – and I have so much confidence in this team,” Ülkekul said.

The goal for the Zephyr is to win, but past the surface, they want to grow women’s sports and the best way to do that is with exposure through a professional program. Owners Katie and Ryan Harnetiaux have made it clear throughout their tenure.

Braun said that the team will be a boon for girls who want to see what the future might hold for them if they keep working at their craft. She was in a position in college where she didn’t see a clear path forward, but now Zephyr FC should provide a vision for girls in the region who might be in the same spot.

“Having people come out and getting to see how fun it is and how cool it is just to be at a women’s sporting event I think leads into every other woman’s teams we have around here,” Braun said. “I think they’ll be eager and ready to root for us.”