Natalie Gonzalez: Hello. I am Natalie Gonzalez,

Alejandra Guerra: and I am Alejandra Guerra,

Natalie Gonzalez: and we are your hosts for today’s podcast.

Alejandra Guerra: In this podcast, we’ll be interviewing a special guest about her life and soccer journey.

Natalie Gonzalez: Today’s special guest is Isabel Vasquez, number nine on the Cerritos College soccer team,

Alejandra Guerra: According to her bio on the Cerritos College team roster, Isabel has played for Long Beach FC, FC Premiere and Slammers club teams. She also helped the team advance to CIF semifinals as a senior, and played on three league championship teams

Natalie Gonzalez: When Isabel was a freshman, she was voted her team’s Defensive Player of the Year and helped them win the winter tournament title. We will now be welcoming Isabel Vasquez, also known as Izzy.

Alejandra Guerra: Hello, Izzy. How are you today?

Isabel Vasquez: I’m doing good. How are you?

Alejandra Guerra: I’m good. Thank you for asking.

Natalie Gonzalez: Can we have you share a little bit about yourself?

Isabel Vasquez: Um, so I’m the oldest of five children, and I’ve been playing soccer for about, I’d say, 11 years. And, um, well, I’m attending serious College. Obviously, my major is animal science, and I plan on going to Cal Poly Pomona after this, or Cal State Long Beach or any of those. And, yeah,

Alejandra Guerra: awesome. Can you share what inspired you or made you start playing soccer?

Isabel Vasquez: Um, so I’m actually adopted by my dad, so he he’s the one who has played his whole life. I started when I was about, I would say, seven or eight years old, and he introduced me to it before that, I was playing tee ball, and I tried out for basketball, but then he had me try out for soccer, and he’s like, okay, you can either do this, and if you don’t like it, you could just do it. Just do a different sport, but I decided to stay in it. And he’s the one who taught me how to like, how to play and everything. He’s helped me grow a lot. And, yeah, my mom was there for support, and so is he.

Alejandra Guerra: What is your most memorable soccer match?

Isabel Vasquez: My most memorable soccer match was my last high school game. We were in the semifinals, and we lost, unfortunately, but we broke records because our team has, or that school hasn’t been in semi finals since like 19 something. I forgot the date, but it’s been a long time, and we were the we had no goal scored on us against us in season, so we were a really strong and good team.

Natalie Gonzalez: and what had been your favorite soccer match?

Isabel Vasquez: I know this isn’t good, but I have gone to a fight with one of my matches, and my friend was in there too. I was just defending her, and they just thought I started it. But that one was pretty cool, because the parents got involved too, and it was just a lot of drama going on. And it was just because our team was like, beating the other team. So it was like, the parent just caught any foul, so they would try to get us in trouble. But then we started talking back to the parent. It was just a lot of stuff going on.

Natalie Gonzalez: You come from a family where everyone plays sports. Have you been playing other sports besides soccer, or are there any sports you enjoy playing outside of soccer?

Isabel Vasquez: No, I only play soccer now.

Alejandra Guerra: And what is your favorite thing about soccer?

Isabel Vasquez: My favorite thing about soccer is for me, when I step on the field, like when I was practicing or a game, my mind would just be cleared. Like no, like, no stress, or anything, anything I was worried about outside of soccer, it would not be in my mind, like I would just be focused on the game, so I’m able to release any stress that I have and put it on the game or at practice.

Natalie Gonzalez: What role has soccer played in your life?

Isabel Vasquez: Um, it’s played a big role. Actually, I feel like it’s gotten me closer to some people that I think didn’t think I was going to be closer to, like my dad when we first, when he first met us, or me and my sister, and then also, too, it’s it’s helped me grow as an individual, because I’m a very extroverted person. But as I got into the higher levels of soccer, it made me realize that it’s better, if you like, start talking to people, because then on the field you’ll have more chemistry together. So it starts off the field, if you’re very bonded with your team, it’ll help you being on the field with that chemistry.

Natalie Gonzalez: And what are the most important things you have learned from playing soccer?

Isabel Vasquez: Most important things would be, oh, okay, so this is one that I had a hard time, like taking in or kind of learning during the game it’s very high, high intensity. So everyone is like, everyone will yell at you, but it doesn’t mean they’re, like, trying to hurt your feelings. They’re trying to make you better. So that’s one thing that I learned, that it was very important, because for me, I take yelling as, like, a bad sign or something, or I would that’s just how I was raised. Like, yelling is like, not good, or they’re trying to. Uh, like, hurts your feeling or something, but our coach has taught us to not take it in a bad way. Take it as like, they’re trying to make you better because they see something that you probably don’t. So they they’re trying to criticize you in a good way so you can incorporate that in your next like, play.

Natalie Gonzalez: And I would assume, like in the field, they have to yell,

Isabel Vasquez: yeah, they have to yell anyways. But it’s just sometimes, some girls come off as like, I know I do. I come off as like, Oh, I’m trying to, like, hurt your feelings or something. But no, I’m really not.

Natalie Gonzalez: It’s the tone, aggressive.

Isabel Vasquez: It’s the tone, yeah.

Natalie Gonzalez: Okay. And who’s your greatest inspiration? Whether it’s soccer on your personal life,

Isabel Vasquez: Greatest inspiration would be my parents there. They came from very low, and now they’re up there with me, and they have supported me through the whole the whole time.

Alejandra Guerra: What is the most difficult obstacle that you’ve had to overcome in your life and or in soccer? And how did you overcome it?

Isabel Vasquez: It’s not as big as what’s happening right now, because I am injured and I can’t play, but for me, I have another escape other than soccer, so I do art. I like to draw a lot, and it keeps my mind, my mind busy, because I can’t I can’t exercise right now, so it’s hard for me. Sometimes I’ll just be scrolling on my phone, but that’s not I know that’s not good, so I’ll just like, I’ll just start drawing. I like, out of nowhere, so that’s a good one.

Natalie Gonzalez: Okay, can you share with us a little more information about your injury and how it has affected your soccer career?

Isabel Vasquez: So my injury, I have two tears, one in my ACL. The ACL is fully torn. The meniscus is torn a bit, and I have a lateral minor fracture, so I don’t even know how I’m walking right now, but I have to get surgery. Thinking about their my doctors are talking about next month, and right now, I’m not able to do any lifting over 20 pounds, which is not a lot. I can’t run, I can’t jump, I can’t squat or anything. I can do upper workouts, but it’s not the same. My big thing is running, because that’s how I keep fit, keep my stamina up, but I can’t do that. I have to wear brace. It’s not the most comfortable thing, but it helps me walk and helps my knee from coming out of place. I am on. They gave me pain meds, but I don’t take them a lot because I just, I’m just home. I can’t do much my I have two jobs, so one job is not allowing me to go back to work, but one is with minor adjustments. So yeah, it’s impacted me a lot, so I can’t do a lot of stuff.

Natalie Gonzalez: And how long is your injury keeping you from playing soccer?

Isabel Vasquez: So with this injury, the ACL tear, automatically is one year out of soccer. If it was just a meniscus tear, it would be just, they said minimum four weeks. So I would be out the whole season anyways, but it’s three things in one. So I don’t know how long that’s going to take, but I’d say about a year in a couple months.

Natalie Gonzalez: Okay, and were you hoping to play soccer once you transfer as well?

Isabel Vasquez: Yeah, I was. Before this I was looking into it, but I’m trying to see if I can red shirt this year so I can get my like, like fitness back up. And if I, if I’m able to red shirt, then I would feel more confident in myself moving to the next level. Because if I just go from now to the next level, I know I’m not going to be where I’m at where I was at.

Natalie Gonzalez: So you’re majoring in animal science, and you just do art on the side. Yeah, can you tell us a little more about your major?

Isabel Vasquez: So ever since I was little, I really, I really love animals. One of my jobs is washing dogs at a grooming shop. And I was just like, Okay, I’m gonna be a vet. Like I’ve always been saying that since I was little, and so now I’m just majoring in animal science, or right now, I don’t have like, a specific, like job in that area, so I’m looking at different branches, but I know majoring in Animal Science will take me far in different like areas.

Natalie Gonzalez: And how’s your experience working at an animal shop washing dogs?

Isabel Vasquez: It can be frustrating, because dogs are a little nervous when you get there, because they don’t know you. You don’t know them, so, but you just have to take it slow. But once you get to know them, they’re, like, all happy and like, they’re wiggling their tails and everything. They’re they’re really nice, if you if you’re patient with them

Natalie Gonzalez: Yeah, because I have a Frenchie and I take them to go get washed, and I’ve been seeing like, all the other dogs, like, get showered, like, big dogs, yeah? And I’m like, I wonder if they’re ever scared, like, of getting bit.

Isabel Vasquez: Yeah, they’re no, I’ve gotten bit once, but it wasn’t because the dog was old and, like, he was already over it. But yeah, and we’ve had big dogs before. Like, the most I’ve had was 180 pound dog. She was really big. So, yeah.

Alejandra Guerra: So what is the best piece of advice that someone has given you? And what advice can you give to anyone listening to this podcast right now?

Isabel Vasquez: Um, best advice is just go with your gut. Because I have not go with your with what your gut says, like the first time, the first feeling that you get. Because I have not done that so many times, and I like, I regret it sometimes, but then I’m like, Well, what? Like, I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t do that, or I just go. I think about my decisions a lot, but what my dad has taught me is just go with your first say or your first feeling, and that has gotten me actually pretty far.

Natalie Gonzalez: Well, we want to thank you again, Izzy, for taking the time out of your day to come out onto our podcast. I hope your recovery goes well, and good luck in your major Okay. Thank you. Thank you.

Alejandra Guerra: And thank you for listening to today’s podcast. If you enjoy this podcast, please be sure to give it a comment and a like. For more podcasts like this, check out the Talon Marks website.