POCATELLO − A lot has changed in the life of Idaho State center back Gracie East, but one thing has remained constant: her love for soccer.

Since she was 6 years old growing up in Ogden, Utah, soccer has been a part of her life.

From a young age, East had a lot going on, starting with her parents’ divorce. It created a dynamic she wasn’t used to — but it also made her fall in love with soccer even more.

“There was a lot going on in my outside life,” East said. “Soccer was a really good outlet for me to just not think about anything. That was on the back of my mind, but it wasn’t in my thoughts. I was constantly doing it — it was like a drug, honestly. It was a good way to let my emotions out, but in a healthy way.”

She rose up the ranks, battling from lower leagues to a recruitment offer from Utah State — a thrilling opportunity she decided to take.

“That was really fun,” East said. “Utah State is a big school, and being in that environment and that culture was awesome. Manny Martins is the smartest coach I’ve ever met in my life. It was the best experience I think I could have given myself. I still take what he said to me throughout my life now.”

However, East admits she had a tough time in Logan, dealing with injuries, a rocky relationship with her head coach, and a point where she considered quitting soccer altogether.

When she arrived as a freshman, she was excited to get to work and live out her dream of being a college soccer player — but it didn’t go as planned. A couple weeks into her freshman season, she suffered a stress fracture in her femur and missed all of the 2023 season. She spent six weeks on crutches, followed by a three-month recovery. She was also academically ineligible under the NCAA’s 10/7 rule, adding to the frustration.

“I was academically ineligible because of the 10/7 rule, and I wasn’t aware of that until like two weeks before I moved up there,” she said. “Everything leading up to even getting there was horrible. And then getting there, I found out I was injured.”

East went to work on her recovery and got herself academically cleared before the spring 2024 season, looking forward to playing her first action in an Aggie uniform. But that was cut short again by a re-stress fracture in her femur, sidelining her once more.

She returned for the fall season and played in seven games for the Aggies, totaling 122 minutes. Despite her limited playing time, she kept fighting for her place on the team — until the spring of 2025.

After playing all season and finding some of her joy again, East was told she might be cut due to another NCAA rule. Nothing came of it through the rest of the spring — until her exit meeting.

The exit meeting with head coach Manny Martins didn’t go well, adding to the pair’s already rocky relationship.

“I don’t think me and Manny got along,” she said. “We butted heads a lot. I’m a very upfront and honest person, and he does like to sugarcoat some things. I took that hard — it was really hard for me to not get the full truth from him. No disrespect to him at all. I respect him completely.”

During that meeting, she was told she was being cut, ending her two-year stint at Utah State.

“I was honestly feeling really good, getting in the groove of everything, and then the last week comes around, and he told me he was letting me go,” East said. “It really sucked, and it made it even worse because I was already struggling there.”

In hindsight, her time at Utah State helped shape who she is today.

“It’s honestly been better for me — it was a blessing in disguise,” she said.

After being cut, East was lost and contemplated quitting soccer altogether. Then she was approached by Westminster College, a Division II school, and agreed to play for the Griffins. At first, it was exactly what she needed — a reset, and a chance to play the game she’d loved since she was little.

In 17 games, she logged 1,527 minutes and contributed three assists, giving her the reset and change of pace she needed.

“I decided to go to Westminster and down a division because I just needed something a little more chill, to reset my mind. I was in the headspace of not wanting to play soccer anymore because of the experience I had,” East said. “So I figured I might as well go lower, not make it that much of a hassle for myself.”

But the more relaxed DII pace didn’t fit East for long — her drive and passion to compete at the highest level was still there.

“Then I went lower, and I realized I hate being lower, and I hate not having the drive. Especially coming from Utah State to Westminster, it was like culture shock,” she said.

Despite that, she wasn’t planning on transferring until her head coach, Tony Leblanc, resigned, prompting her to test her options in the transfer portal.

Facing East in the spring season, Idaho State head coach Dustin Downey knew he wanted her on his backline.

“We had played Westminster in the spring season, and I just loved her composure on the ball as a defender, and her ability to play comfortably out of the back,” Downey said. “I believed she possessed the skills to be an attacking player from a defensive position, which would help us in building our attack from the defensive third into the final third.”

East believed in Downey and the program, and their effort to get to know her as more than just an athlete helped seal her decision.

“I chose Idaho State because of mainly the coaching at first,” East said. “Dustin’s awesome. He was very welcoming, and he’s just a really chill guy. He gives the aspect that he wants to win, to work hard, but he also cares about you as a person and an individual.”

East has since formed a center back partnership with fellow senior Daphne Egelhoff. Playing side by side, rarely leaving the field, their bond has grown stronger than most.

“Me and Gracie work really well together,” Egelhoff said. “We also demand a lot from each other. You’ll hear us yelling at each other on the field, but it’s all out of love — we believe in each other so much, and we know that one of us can’t be great without the other.”

Despite a back injury, East has played and started in every game this season and has been vitally important to the Bengals.

“She has played a lot of minutes for us this season,” Downey said. “Doing so through some pain and agony. There’s a lot of fight in this kid, and she takes a lot of pride when she’s on the field.”

So far, her college path has led her to Idaho State — and in what might be her final season playing, she’s exactly where she wants to be.

Whether it’s on the field, or off it — the 5 a.m. flights, the bonding with teammates, and building a culture they can be proud of — she’s back playing the game she loves, with the people she loves.

“It’s something you can’t really explain,” East said. “Coming here, I knew I had to fight for my spot, and I have to work hard. It’s really rewarding more than anything, and it’s exciting and fun, being a part of this culture — and what’s to come has been really awesome.”