UTPA (RGV) Soccer Team Shares Skills with Santa Rosa High School After-School Soccer Team

UTPA/RGV Women’s soccer team players visited Santa Rosa ISD and gave a free basic skills training to the district’s High School After-School Boys Soccer team last week.  Lindsay Vera, assistant coach for UTPA/RGV, says their soccer team created last year focuses not only on playing soccer but also stress the importance of high academic performance and leadership skills development. Ms. Vera states that a Men’s team is on its way at UTPA (RGV).  Athletic Director, Coach Garcia welcomed and thanked the group from UTPA (RGV) or their time.  SRISD’s Afterschool Soccer Coach Frank Mendoza, also a UTPA graduate student social work interns at Santa Rosa High School, invited the UTPA team to speak to his players for encouragement and to help students make a connection with college opportunities.  Ms. Trevino, HS Principal supports these types of activities as part of the school’s college awareness efforts.  The UTPA Women soccer players took the SRISD boys through various skills routines.  Coach Vera states the “boys have lots of talent”.  The Santa Rosa Boy’s Soccer Team is on its fourth year.  Put together by Ms. Yesica Castillo, HS Site Coordinator for the then ACE Afterschool Program, she found a group of students very interested in playing soccer.

While the team is not part of U.I.L., the players enjoy every minute of it.  Players have voiced their interest in having the district consider an official soccer team in the near future.   This would give Santa Rosa students an opportunity to possibly earn college scholarships and play with the UTPA/RGV Soccer Team.  Weather permitting; the boys will play their first game against IDEA Academy in San Benito.