'Guardian of the (soccer) Goals': A Utah athlete is repping the US Space Force in NCAA play

COLORADO SPRINGS — For three college soccer campaigns, Judge Memorial Catholic High School graduate Caeli Sherman and her teammates have taken the pitch wearing the familiar blue-and-gray uniform of the Air Force Academy Falcons.

This season, Sherman is excited about a slight wardrobe adjustment — at least for a game or two.

The USAFA women's soccer team — along with every other varsity team at the Colorado Springs-based service academy — will play at least one game or series this year in an alternate uniform recognizing the United States Space Force.

A Salt Lake City native, Sherman told the Deseret News she's honored to pay tribute to the country's newest branch of the U.S. Armed Forces.

"Space, obviously, is a new frontier that we're trying to tap into, and I think that this just encompasses the direction that we're moving into," she said.

"And the (alternate uniform) still has the American flag, which, for me, has been the coolest thing to have on any uniform — but particularly because you stand and salute before a game during the national anthem.

"That's just different from what other schools do."

The U.S. Space Force was established Dec. 20, 2019, when the National Defense Authorization Act was signed into law, creating the first new branch of the armed services in 73 years. It is organized under the Department of the Air Force.

The establishment of the Space Force resulted from widespread recognition that space was a national security imperative. When combined with the growing threat posed by near-peer competitors, it became clear there was a need for a military service focused solely on pursuing superiority in the space domain, according to the Space Force.

"Access to and freedom to operate in space underpins our national security and economic prosperity," the Space Force site noted.

"However, space is no longer free from conflict. Potential adversaries are seeking ways to deny the U.S. access to the space capabilities fundamental to our way of war and modern way of life. They have developed an array of threats, both on Earth and in orbit, that continue to grow in scope, scale, and complexity."

The Space Force consists of approximately 9,400 active duty personnel, known as "Guardians."

Air Force-Space Force: 'An important partnership'

USAFA athletics first honored the space service with a specialized uniform for the Falcons' 2022 football game with rival Navy.

In 2025, every team at the USAFA salutes those in the country's space service.

"We are thrilled to unveil this collaboration with the U.S. Space Force to honor the men and women who make up this important service," Air Force Director of Athletics Nathan Pine said in a USAFA release.

"As the Space Force's Academy, it is an important partnership that will showcase uniforms for each of our teams to celebrate these incredible teammates."

The new uniforms for each team will feature some of the following elements:

• The uniform will use word marks of Space Force and USSF, in addition to the Delta mark of the USSF.
• USSF typographic Sharpe Sans Display, the official font of the U.S. Space Force.
• The four Space Force core values: courage, commitment, connection, character.
• Fusing together the official mark of the Air Force Academy, the AF, with the Polaris star and orbit, showing the connection between the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Space Force.
• "Semper supra," the Space Force motto, meaning "always above."

The USAFA is also academically linked to the USSF. Each year, about 10% of the service academy's graduating class are commissioned as 2nd lieutenants in the USSF.

"The academy has always been the place for space, housing one of the only undergraduate programs in the nation to design, develop and fly real-world satellites, and offering space-focused majors," according to the USAFA.

"Additionally, the academy hosts Azimuth annually — which is a three-week program to introduce cadets to operations in the space domain modeled after NASA's two-year Astronaut Training Program."

A Falcon midfielder — and future pilot

A multi-year Deseret News All-State player at Judge Memorial, Sherman is a USAFA senior and plays in the Falcons midfield.

Besides competing as a Division I athlete, Sherman performs a variety of campus military duties and is majoring in legal studies. She'd like to pursue a legal career at some point, "but I did get a pilot slot (after graduation) — so that's a 10-year commitment."

"But I'd love to do something with my major eventually and maybe go to law school."

While slated to become an Air Force officer next spring, Sherman has great respect for her classmates pursuing the USSF career path — including her soccer team captain, Samantha Sharp.

"Sam's an Astronautical Engineer major, so this is a dream for her."

Sherman and the Falcon squad begin their 2025 soccer campaign on Aug. 3 on the road versus Montana.

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