USWNT select Capriel Winder leads USU defense with sister Talia
Utah State Soccer first-year defender Capriel Winder spent the fall doing something few freshman college players can imagine: logging nearly every possible minute for a Division I program and earning a call-up to the U.S. U-20 Women’s National Team training camp. But if you ask her how she handled the whirlwind, she’ll point to someone who’s been by her side her whole life.
Her older sister Talia Winder, a sophomore defender for the Aggies, was the first to help Capriel find her footing in the college game. And when Capriel stepped onto the field with the country’s top U-20 players in Kansas City, Talia was the first one beaming with pride.
“It was honestly like a proud sister moment,” Talia said. “That’s everyone’s biggest dream —to play at that national level. It was really cool to see her have that opportunity and to get through the struggles and the hardships and to make it a good experience.”
Capriel entered her first fall at Utah State University already known as one of the best high school defenders in the state of Utah: a former Green Canyon standout, ECNL All-Conference player and someone who could contribute both defensively and offensively.
However, her immediate impact at the college level surprised even her sister.
“Honestly, I thought she would be terrible coming in,” Talia joked. “I knew she’d thrive in this environment. It’s been really cool to see her grow and play at such a high level. It can be a huge jump, and it can be kind of scary sometimes, but she just faced it head on and did really well this season.”
Capriel played 1,867 minutes for the Aggies this season, the third-highest total on the team despite missing two games for the national team camp. Her presence and aggression helped the Aggies hold opponents to 0.91 goals per game, second best in the Mountain West.
That workload made her invitation to the national training camp all the more notable.
For the first time in her life, Capriel found herself surrounded by elite young professionals — players who had already trained overseas, signed professional contracts or spent years in national team pipelines.
“It was crazy,” she said. “The rest of the players there had been doing it for a long time. A lot of them were playing professionally. I was out of my comfort zone.”
The speed, physicality and technical quality were unlike anything she’d ever experienced.
“But as the week went on, I got used to it,” Capriel said. “I started competing a little more and getting used to the speed of play. It was really fun.”
When she came back to Logan, she felt like she had a new gear.
“Maybe a little more confidence on the ball,” Capriel said. “Driving forward, being more aggressive. But otherwise, I didn’t feel like a huge difference — just more belief in myself.”
Utah State made national headlines this season for rostering three sets of sisters, something almost unheard of in Division I soccer. Head coach Manny Martins said the overlap wasn’t planned. He was simply recruiting players who fit the program, and the Winders happened to be among them.
“It’s not by design per se,” Martins said. “We didn’t recruit them because they were sisters. We recruited them because they’re good and they fit. But the fact that they’re sisters and they played high school together certainly helps because these are kids that know each other, and they love each other.”
For Capriel and Talia, the connection runs has followed them from high school fields to the Division I pitch.
They’ve been training together for years, through club soccer, high school and now NCAA competition. Talia favors the middle of the field and contributes on both ends of the pitch, while Capriel is known for her defensive aggression and physicality. According to the sisters, they’re different but complementary.
“We definitely have different playing styles,” Talia said. “But the similarity is we give it our all every time. No matter the opponent or situation, we always fall back on that.”
They didn’t play many minutes together this season, but when they did — most notably in the NCAA tournament game against BYU — it felt natural.
“It’s really cool,” Talia said. “I fully trust Capriel as a player and person, and she trusts me. We communicate on a different level than anyone else.”
And off the field, the relationship is just as strong.
“We hang out a lot,” Capriel said. “We live in different places, but our houses are like five minutes away, so often we’ll practice all day, and then we’ll go home and be together.”
Talia said having a sister in the program strengthened their already close relationship.
“It’s nice having someone who understands everything you go through,” she said. “You can’t always explain the college soccer experience to people outside the program. It’s cool to have someone in the program who’s also in your family, and it just kind of creates a special bond.”
Utah State’s postseason run featured a third consecutive Mountain West championship and a hard-fought NCAA tournament match, leaving both sisters encouraged about what’s ahead.
“Our team showed a lot of resilience this season, just with a lot of injuries and a lot of unexpected things happening,” Talia said. “We really had to fight through that whole tournament, and even in the NCAA game. I think we really showed our true Aggie colors, as [Martins] likes to say.”
Despite key seniors graduating, neither sister is worried.
“I’m pretty confident about next year,” Capriel said. ““We have good players coming in, and good players already here. Our team is at a level where we can still bring the same success we had this year.”
Under Martins — who recently signed an extension through 2030 — the sisters believe the program is just beginning its rise.
“It just really shows that he’s committed to us,” Talia said. “Because he’s staying, I think the team will be able to be more consistent instead of having to change stuff around.”
Martins, who has his own history helping with the U-20 Women’s National Team and called Capriel an “All-American caliber player” at the start of the season, may have helped open the door for her opportunity. The U-20 camp is part of the U.S. team’s buildup to the 2026 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in Poland, and Capriel is now part of a pool of top college players and young professionals, with more opportunities likely ahead.
Right now, though, she’s focused on being a better Aggie.
“Having that experience gives you confidence that you can compete with the best,” Talia said of her sister. “And now she brings that back to our team.”
The Winders expect to take on bigger roles next season as leaders and not just players.
“We’ve been talking about how we can make this year the floor, not the ceiling,” Talia said. “We can just build on everything and improve in all categories.”
For Capriel, the national team call-up is one step in a longer journey, one she’s pursuing alongside her sister and teammates at Utah State.