Many students have no idea of what they want to do after high school, whether it be where to go for college, what major to take, or what extracurriculars they want to participate in. Luckily for seniors Leia Lorente and Elise Tayaba, this isn’t the case.
Lorente is planning to play on the soccer team at Ohlone College, Leia Lorente said. She was able to get in by attending an identification (ID) camp over the summer to play soccer there, she added.
“The coach there really liked how I played,” Leia Lorente said. “He went to watch more of my club games, my high school games, and then I finally got signed and committed.”
She decided to commit because of how passionate she is about the sport, Leia Lorente said. It was also because of how some of her best memories are from when she plays and practices soccer with her teammates, she added.
“I wanted to make my parents and my whole family proud because I’m the first in my family to play a college sport,” Leia Lorente said. “Also, Ohlone is a beautiful campus, and it’s just ten minutes away.”
However, despite getting accepted, she isn’t really focusing much on the sport at the moment, Leia Lorente said. She is not sure whether or not she’ll play for all four years, she added.
“I’m just focusing on community right now,” Leia Lorente said. “But when the time comes, maybe I’ll play for another four years when I transfer or maybe play professionally.”
Tayaba got accepted to play on the soccer team at Evergreen Valley College, she said. She made different connections through scrimmages she played with her club soccer team, and it aided her in getting identified, she added.
“I kind of just came into contact with different coaches to keep my options open,” Tayaba said. “I’ve also been looking at the academics, because at the end of the day, I’m going to college for school. Even though I am playing soccer, I still have to figure out what I want in my life outside of it,” Tayaba said.
She decided to go to Evergreen Valley college because of people she knew beforehand that attended the school, she said. She wanted a new experience while also being somewhat familiar with the college, she added.
“I’m planning on majoring in psychology, and I heard that they had a good psychology program, and they have a good transfer rate, so I could go to a university afterwards,” Tayaba said.
Tayaba decided to play college soccer because she’s played the game for so long, Tayaba said. She doesn’t know who she is without it, she added.
“I feel like a lot of people kind of lose the love that they have for their sport, but I haven’t,” Tayaba said. “I haven’t lost it. I feel like I can continue to pursue it as long as I can.”
In order for someone to play college level soccer, there are certain prerequisites that must be met, Tayaba said.
“You kind of just have to work really hard, and you have to have the right work ethic for it,” Tayaba said. “I feel like college sports definitely aren’t for everyone. It takes a certain drive and mentality for someone to be able to play at that high of a level.”
Girls varsity soccer head coach Mario Lorente believes that Lorente and Tayaba’s team chemistry and team spirit with the other players are excellent, he said. Both girls are captains of the varsity girls soccer team, and both do a great job bringing the energy out of the other players, he added.
“Their team chemistry, what they’re portraying when they come out there, they seem very happy, and they seem very receptive,” Mario Lorente said. “So I feel like I have a good team here, and I feel like they’re leaders on this team.”
Mario Lorente supports both players by attempting to help them become the best versions of themselves, while also aiming to help them grow into high-functioning members of their community when they graduate high school, he said.
“I try to build their confidence; I try to show them the utmost respect because I think that’s the best way to learn,” Mario Lorente said. “If you feel comfortable and if you feel safe, then you can really start accepting any type of coaching or knowledge that someone’s trying to give you. So that’s the best way I can support them.”
Both Leia Lorente and Tayaba are the top players of the varsity girls soccer team, Mario Lorente said. The two girls are similar in some ways, from how they want to be great teammates to how they want to be the best, he added.
“Their level of competitiveness and their want to succeed is second to none; I have not seen people like that,” Mario Lorente said. “They both want to be not just team leaders, but these morale boosters by going out there and trying to help their teammates. It’s really easy to work with them. And it’s a pleasure to have them on this team.”
