Q&A with Magnificat HS soccer sisters Mary, Gabrielle, and Abigail Garcia
ROCKY RIVER, Ohio — Mary Garcia plays on the Magnificat Varsity Soccer Team where she is a 15-year-old Sophomore. She has played soccer for 12 years. 聽She also competes with the Internationals Soccer Club.
What are your personal goals within your sport/athletic dreams?
Mary Garcia: One of my goals is to play division 1 soccer.
What is the biggest challenge in your sport, and what do you do to manage this challenge?
Mary: One of the challenges I face in soccer is worrying about others’ opinions of how I play and the decisions I make. I manage it by reminding myself how reliable that person’s opinions are.
What was the best advice you were ever given?
Mary: My favorite bit of advice is actions over words…always..
What do you love about your sport?
Mary: I love my sport because I get to play with my best friends and travel the country. Competing at the highest level with them makes me very happy.
Do you have a pregame ritual that you follow?
Mary: A pregame ritual I have is pulling my socks up over my knees.
What do you like to do outside of your sport?
Mary: I like to hang out with my friends on the weekends.
What has being a member of a team taught you?
Mary: Being a member of a team has taught me teamwork, trust, and commitment.
What is the best piece of advice you received from a coach or mentor?
Mary: The advice my coach has told my team is that pressure is a privilege. Not many people get the opportunity to experience the type of pressure that comes from competing at a National event.
Describe a mistake you made while competing and how you overcame it.
Mary: A common mistake the team makes during the game is losing possession. When this happens, I go above and beyond to make sure I help win the ball back.
Anything else you’d like to add?
Mary: I contributed an assist and played the full 80 minutes of the quarter-final ENCL playoff game with my Internationals Soccer Club team to help them advance into the semi-finals. I was a starting outside back in the ECNL National Semi-final game. Playing on this team, as well as on Magnificat鈥檚 Varsity team, with my triplet sister, Gabby, is very special to me.
Gabrielle Garcia is a member of the Magnificat High School class of 2025 and is a member of the soccer team. She also competes with the Internationals Soccer Club. She is 15 years old.
What are your personal goals within your sport/athletic dreams?聽
Gabrielle Garcia: My personal goal is to play division one college soccer.
What is your biggest challenge in your sport, and what do you do to manage this聽challenge?
Gabrielle: My biggest challenge in soccer is handling the pressure to perform at my best. I always strive to make my coaches, teammates, and parents proud. I manage this challenge by focusing on the things I am able to control, such as my work ethic, instead of the uncontrollables.
What was the best advice you were ever given?聽
Gabrielle: The best advice I’ve ever been given is 鈥渜uality over quantity.鈥� Always strive to play the best game of your life every time you step on the field. It’s what you do with the time you play, not how much time you get.
What do you love about your sport?聽
Gabrielle: What I love most about my sport is the camaraderie Il develop with my teammates. The people I play with are some of my best friends and watching us grow over the years both on and off the field has been really special.
Do you have a pregame ritual you follow?聽
Gabrielle: I always have to wear some sort of braid in my hair for every game. I also put my cleats on my right foot first and then the left.
What do you like to do outside of your sport?聽
Gabrielle: Outside of my sport,聽I enjoy painting, reading, and spending time with my family and friends.
What has being a member of a team taught you?聽
Gabrielle: Being part of a team has taught me collaboration, trust, and leadership.
What is the best piece of advice you received from a coach or a mentor?聽
Gabrielle: My dad has always reminded me that you miss 100% of the shots you don’t even take.
Describe a mistake you made while competing and how you overcame it.聽
Gabrielle: In a sport where mistakes are commonly made, it’s how you react to them that’s important. Soccer is a high paced sport, so you can’t dwell on your mistakes, but rather focus on the next play.
Anything else you’d like to add?
Gabrielle: My Internationals ECNL club team recently finished as a semifinalist in the ECNL National Playoffs. I contributed two goals in the quarterfinal match to propel my team into the semifinals. My main position is wing forward. I enjoy playing this sport that I love with my triplet sister, Mary.
Twelve-year-old Westlake resident Abigail Garcia is in the 7th grade at Saint Raphael School and has participated in soccer for eight years. She currently competes with the Internationals Soccer Club (ISC). She also participated in basketball, gymnastics, taekwondo, and volleyball.
What are your personal goals within your sport/athletic dream?聽
Abigail Garcia: I would like to play on the USA women’s national soccer team and win the World Cup. This is a top dream that no one will ever take from me.
What is your biggest challenge in your sport, and what do you do to manage this challenge?聽
Abigail: My goal, as a goalie, is to stop every ball that comes towards the goal. There are times when my teammates are out of position and my opponent has an open path to me. It is a personal challenge to stop the 1v1 situation that can evolve into a goal and I do everything in my power to prevent it.
What was the best advice you were ever given?
Abigail: I once read a quote that said 鈥淓veryone else likes to be a beast, but nobody likes to work like one.” This has motivated me to keep working hard every day on being the best goalie I can be.
What do you love about your sport?聽
Abigail: I love my sport because I love the pressure, intensity, and being able to stop goals from happening. But I really love the freedom and passion it unlocks to reveal who you are.
Do you have a pregame ritual you follow?聽
Abigail: Before games,聽I like to listen to music and eat a good breakfast. I also stretch and get a good warm up聽before kickoff.
What do you like to do outside of your sport?聽
Abigail: I love to read, draw, paint and spend time with my family when I am not busy. I really like to watch my sisters play soccer so I can learn from them and support them.
What has being a member of a team taught you?聽
Abigail: Being a member of my team has taught me so much about bonding, friendships, and communication. On a team, you have to learn how to not only accomplish goals alone, but how to lead others to help them accomplish their goals, and help the whole team work together towards a common vision. Only then will the team succeed. Sometimes you have to put yourself aside for the bigger picture. You have to have determination and grit to help your teammates when needed.
What is the best advice you received from a coach or mentor?聽
Abigail: The best advice I received was “No Light Days鈥�. 鈥淪how up and stand out when your brain is making the best excuses not to”. This quote is from my goalie trainer which I always keep in my head.
Describe a mistake you made while competing and how you overcame it.聽
Abigail: One mistake that can happen is when you miss a save that is easy. You have to move on and forget about it before it gets to you because then they will keep on聽scoring on you. Try to save the next one and encourage your teammates to build them up.
Anything else you’d like to add?
Abigail: My Internationals Soccer team won this year’s State Cup title. I was also asked to guest play as goalie in the Super Copa tournament, which was held in Salt Lake City in June.
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