Midfielder Cici Gonzalez is “non-stop smiles at practice” and “brightens everyone’s day,” according to women’s soccer head coach Gerry Lucey. Make no mistake, though. When the bright lights of Pepin Stadium turn on, she’s all business.
Coming into the season, Gonzalez already has built up quite an impressive resume. In her two-year career as a Spartan, she’s racked up a bevy of accolades including a selection into the All-SSC first team and the designation as the Spartans leading scorer. to name a few.
Before she was any of those things, though, she was just a girl from the Tampa area who fell in love with soccer. “My mom played, so when I was little she signed me up and I’ve never stopped playing since then,” Gonzalez said.
After discovering she had a knack for the game, she dazzled at nearby Steinbrenner High (in Tampa) and opted to take her talents to UT, allured by the beauty and familiarity of the school. “I really fell in love with the campus. I used to come to the campus when I was little so it just felt like a good fit for me,” Gonzalez said.
Now a junior, Gonzalez and her teammates are hungrier than ever to conquer the Sunshine State Conference (SSC) and make a splash into the NCAA tournament–especially given the way things ended in 2013. Following an impressive 15-4-2 season, the Lady Spartans fell at the hands of rival Rollins 3-2 in the second round of the tournament in overtime, something they hope to use as motivation for this season.
“It was a really bad loss, honestly. Probably the hardest loss I’ve ever experienced,” Gonzalez said.
Gonzalez and her teammates aren’t dwelling on the past. In six games so far, the team has absolutely dominated opponents, going 5-0-1 and allowing only one goal in that span. A big reason for that success? The leadership of Gonzalez on the field.
“She works hard in games and plays well, so others want to follow suit,” sophomore defender Kaela Harmon said. “Others see how much she is hustling on the field and giving it her all. The younger girls especially look up to her for that and want to do the same.”
Gonzalez plays the center-attacking midfield position, a role traditionally known as “the number 10,” or the “playmaker.” On the pitch, her job entails directing the flow of the offense and setting up her fellow attackers to strike on goal.
“Cici has an important role going both ways. Cici’s central role on the team puts her in a prime position to help us out. Her primary responsibility is to attack but we also as a team want to defend from the top,” Coach Lucey said.
Perhaps the most intriguing factor is just how momentous her season could be. Gonzalez already has seven goals and six assists, nearly half of her total from last year. If she keeps up this pace, she could be in for a record-breaking season with a handful of awards.
However, Gonzalez will be the first to tell you that the team comes first. “A lot of people are focused on getting better chemistry. I think last year we kind of lacked that. Now we’re a lot closer, we’re getting to know each other and each other’s styles of play,” she said.
Cici Gonzalez is an integral piece of the women’s soccer team both on and off the field. The daily grind is undoubtedly rigorous, but at the end of the day she’s living out her passion.
Griffin Guinta can be reached at griffin.guinta@spartans.ut.edu