Growing up, Isabella Herrera dabbled in a variety of sports, including track and field, swimming, and softball.
But nothing touched her heart more than soccer.
One of the main reasons she turned to soccer was because of the emotional bond it created with her older sister. At the time, we were both playing soccer, which brought us closer together.
“Soccer was something that resonated with me because it was something that I shared with my sister all my life,” Herrera said. “Over the years, we have become very close. We were so different that soccer was one of the first things that allowed us to bond. So football holds a deep place in my heart.”
Another big reason soccer was a sport for her was because it gave her social freedom. Soccer is a team-oriented sport and required her to interact with others more often than usual.
“I was able to meet a lot of new people outside of school,” Herrera said. “I grew up as a shy kid and had trouble making many friends, especially in elementary school. In a way, discovering soccer was like getting my foot in the door and learning how to be more social. It definitely helped give me confidence.”
This helped her grow and become a leader.
“This helped me learn not only how to be a leader, but how to suffer losses and win in different ways,” she said. “In some ways, it helped me control my emotions, because when you're committed to something on the field with a lot of emotions, not only from yourself but from other players, Because you have to know how to manage it. You’re a more mature person overall.”
At the age of five, Herrera began playing in local parks throughout his elementary school years, working his way up to become captain of the local soccer team. She then joined the Boca team club when she was in middle school, where she was able to further develop her soccer skills and career.
Everything was going well as she was playing the sport she loved and making new friends. Little did she know that she would face many challenges later in her soccer career.
“When I went back to high school after the break, I was pretty shocked. I lost a lot of skills, and that made me lose confidence in myself as a player,” Herrera said. “I think just rebuilding what I had was really hard, but it was something I had to endure both mentally and physically.”
Herrera decided to choose between his two beloved hobbies: soccer and music. She realized that she could not do both at the same time as they would interfere with each other and had to stop practicing music in order to pursue her soccer career.
“We have to go to different concerts at different schools, which requires us to practice outside of school hours and on weekends,” she said. “A lot of soccer is mainly on the weekends, and if there's a tournament, you'll be there all day or all weekend. It was a whole schedule that you had to work around. So I had to quit the orchestra. It is.”
Due to the coronavirus pandemic, Herrera ended up having to take a two-year hiatus from soccer. After returning to high school for his sophomore year, Herrera found himself facing issues with his confidence in his sport.
Separately, the academic struggles of being a student-athlete began. She had to find a way to balance sports and schoolwork, which resulted in her taking an extended break from soccer.
“Being a student-athlete is definitely difficult,” Herrera said. “Unfortunately, there will be some nights when you're up until 1am. It's important to find what works for you and not push yourself too hard. At some point, you have to know your limits and things start You have to take a step back if you're going too far. I've taken a break several times. From football. I took a year off from the whole sport. Stay balanced and be okay with yourself. I was the only one who found a way to keep it.”
When she returned for her final year of high school soccer, she found that things on the team were not the same. Her voice wasn't being heard and her feelings were hurt.
“As I got older, I became an independent person,” she said. “I myself had issues with my coaches, and even though I was trying my best to be a good player, I felt like my coaches weren’t listening to me or seeing me. It's frustrating to know that a coach doesn't want to pay attention to you or acknowledge you. That's why I thought about quitting several times because I wasn't a good fit.”
However, despite these challenges, she continued to push her love for the sport, and her efforts led her to become one of the starters on the women's soccer team.
“I had to go through those things knowing that at the end of the day I couldn't let one person take away the joy from this sport that I love so much,” Herrera said. . “Especially for me, I have a lot of bonds with the younger girls who look up to me and I didn't want to quit just because I'm frustrated right now. Throughout the season, win or lose, I don't want to quit.” There were a lot of moments. Overall, I'm glad I didn't quit the team.”