DENVER — Professional soccer player Carson Pickett surprised 9-year-old Hayden Stine at her youth soccer team's practice in Denver recently. The two had first met last month when Hayden attended Denver Summit FC's home opener at Mile High Stadium.

Denver Summit FC is a new women's team in the National Women's Soccer League. The club did not score a goal in its home opener.

Hayden was born without most of her right arm. Pickett, who has a limb difference, became a role model for the 9-year-old after their first meeting at the stadium.

"I want to be a professional soccer player when I grow up. And she was able to do that. And it really fills me with hope that I'm able to as well," Hayden said.

Hayden's mother, Christina Hayden, said her daughter's confidence has grown since the meeting. "At school, on the soccer field, it's through the roof," she said.

For years, Pickett hid her arm in pictures and avoided discussing her limb difference. She said her perspective shifted after a conversation with her mother, who told her she was missing an opportunity and a purpose by concealing it.

"I didn't want to be known as the girl with one arm that plays soccer. I just wanted to be known for the girl that plays soccer," Pickett said.

Pickett has since embraced meeting young fans and families who share her experience. She wrote on social media: "Finding out that the journey is a lot less about myself and a lot more about the hearts I can touch along the way."

Pickett plans to stay in touch with Hayden and help her find her purpose. Asked about the plan, Hayden said, "Yes, I am up for it."