Brooke Milliet has had her mind made up about her college destination for more than a year.

Savannah Seiter, too.

Given the access the coaches get while doubling as instructors for the Durango Youth Soccer Association and the way the program is viewed in the community, it should come as little surprise that both of the Durango High School girls soccer standouts will take their considerable skill sets to Fort Lewis College after polishing off their high school careers this spring.

Milliet is the lethal scorer of the bunch, having led the Demons in goals the last two seasons; Seiter’s contributions come more in hard-nosed contributions a bit further from the net, both in the midfield and on defense.

“Technically, she’s a player that’s just gifted, very sound with both feet, good speed, excellent balance,” FLC head coach Damian Clarke said of Milliet. “There’s not a whole lot that she doesn’t have.

“I think she’s very versatile ... hard-nosed – just blue-collar work Savannah’s willing to put in,” Clarke said of Seiter. “I think she’s the sort of kid that she’s not going to complain, and she’s just going to come in and outwork people. ... I think she’s a lot more athletic than people give her credit for.”

The Skyhawks were able to get their hooks in both players early, with multiple faces associated with the FLC program coaching the duo throughout their younger years in DYSA. It’s a pipeline that’s worked wonders for both the men’s and women’s soccer programs, and it helped boost Milliet to a spot on Rio Vista FC in Albuquerque, another program that’s become a Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference pipeline.

Former FLC standout Kate Stahlin and current Fort Lewis assistant coaches Bree Baker and Jimmy Hall serve as coaches for DYSA, and Clarke is a member of the board. Stahlin and Baker serve as director and assistant director of coaching, respectively.

“You get to experience all the different coaches, so they’ve known you throughout most of your life,” said Seiter, daughter of Janet and Mark Seiter.

“We know all of them pretty well, which is really cool going into it, knowing all the coaches,” said Milliet, daughter of Charlie and Janis Milliet.

Another advantage to the structured youth program is that players play the same style from youth to high school to college, breeding an incredible amount of familiarity and trimming the adjustment time from one level to the other.

“I think just knowing how Damian plays and being with people that coach like him ... you kind of are going up there knowing how he coaches,” Seiter said.

Durango head coach Aaron Eldridge has coached three RMAC signees in the last two years, the other being current Adams State product Marlene Conner. He said he’s proud to see DHS players have the opportunity to be successful at the next level. Stahlin agreed.

“It doesn’t surprise me with these two that they’re getting this opportunity,” Stahlin said.

“We’d love to see those ties continue, and these two will be a huge part of that,” Eldridge said.

For next year, Milliet said she’d like to improve her finishing skills, while Seiter said she’d like to keep her intensity level up in a consistent manner through the spring soccer season.

Clarke said he envisions Seiter jumping into the mix at outside midfielder, with Milliet playing either up top or out wide.

The FLC coach has shown a propensity for giving playing time to freshmen he feels are deserving, so there’s the possibility the pair will get an immediate shot to set foot on the Dirks Field pitch, one they’ve dreamed about playing on for quite a while.

“We’ve grown up being a part of a crowd and how crazy Skyhawks’ fans are, and it’s going to be cool being on the other side of that,” Milliet said.

rowens@durangoherald.com