Isabella and Alexis DeMarco: Soccer stars and sisters at Western Carolina University
CULLOWHEE, N.C. — A Q&A with Isabella and Alexis DeMarco who are soccer players for the Western Carolina Catamounts.
Isabella DeMarco –聽Rising Junior
What are your personal goals within your sport/athletic dreams?
Isabella: My personal goal is to be better and better every day. To push myself to do more. If聽 I have an opportunity to play at the next level I would love to continue playing soccer.
What is your biggest challenge in your sport, and what do you do to manage this challenge?
Isabella: My biggest challenge in my sport is balancing being a student athlete. It is an everyday grind. Lift in the morning, school, and then practice. And repeat.
What was the best advice you were ever given?
Isabella: Best advice/motivation in college I was given by my coach was when I had a really bad practice and he came up to me and said do you want to be good or do you want to be great? And I looked at him and said I want to be great. Every practice, every game, I went out on the field knowing my coach had high expectations for me and to not settle for just being good.
What do you love about your sport?
Isabella: The biggest thing I like about my sport is the people. When you surround yourself with people who love the sport just as much as you do it makes playing soccer so much better. Our team at Western is a very close team and it鈥檚 so important to build that sisterhood when competing everyday.
Do you have a pregame ritual you follow?
Isabella: Every game is different for me. It鈥檚 hard to follow a ritual when traveling but when it鈥檚 game mode I am focused on nothing but the game. Sometimes I don鈥檛 even talk to anyone.
What do you like to do outside of your sport?
Isabella: Pickleball is definitely something I enjoy. My sisters and I take it very seriously.
What has being a member of a team taught you?
Isabella: Being a member of a team has taught me so much but most importantly, being a selfless individual. When you’re competing as a team you aren鈥檛 competing by yourself. When I score a goal it鈥檚 the people on the field who allow me to do that.
Describe a mistake you made while competing and how you overcame it.
Isabella: A mistake I make while competing is blaming myself for losing. I always feel like I did something wrong. Which isn鈥檛 how a team sport should be. I get so in my head about not making a shot or not making the right pass.
Accomplishments:
- 2023-2024 SOCON Player of the Year
- 1st Team All SOCON
- Women Athlete of the Year at Western Carolina
- United Soccer Coaches All Region 2nd team
Alexis Demarco –聽Entering Grad year of Nursing School
What are your personal goals within your sport/athletic dreams?
Alexis: My personal goals are to have no regrets after I am done playing. I want to leave school knowing I gave it my all in every practice, game, lift, etc. I also hope to inspire younger girls who want to play in college and love the sport just as much as I do!
What is your biggest challenge in your sport, and what do you do to manage this challenge?
Alexis: The biggest challenge in my sport these past couple of years has been doing nursing school and playing college soccer. Waking up at 4 am to go to clinicals for 12 hours at the hospital then going straight to play a conference game right after, studying on the road and even after we won our conference championship has been a huge challenge. It might also be the biggest blessing because soccer is now the one time where I can be free, just playing and enjoying every moment of it. It has definitely made me appreciate soccer even more.
What do you love about your sport?
Alexis: Soccer has been my biggest passion ever since I can remember. I live for the days where we have hard practices, running tests, sprints, games when they don鈥檛 go your way, etc., but the best part about it is that there are 30 other girls doing it right beside you. I love the grind.
Do you have a pregame ritual you follow?
Alexis: I have had the same ritual since freshman year of high school and have not missed doing it since. During the national anthem before the game, I say a quick prayer and a few things to some of the people I’ve lost who are now up above. This is the one moment I feel most at peace before games and pushes me to play for them every game. I also have to eat a banana before every game.
What do you like to do outside of your sport?
Alexis: Outside of soccer, I love to play tennis, pickleball, beach volleyball, and go on runs. I also love spending time with kids, hiking, fishing, finding shells and shark teeth, and honestly anything outside makes me happy!!! I also have found a passion in nursing, especially in pediatrics. They are a super vulnerable population that needs people to advocate for them as nothing that brings them into the hospital is their fault. I find it to be the greatest joy that I can help them and their families in any way and put a smile on their faces.
What has being a member of a team taught you?
Alexis: Being a member of a team has taught me so much in life and even taught me so much about myself. I鈥檝e learned to embrace that everyone is different, yet we all have the same passion and goals which brings a sense of unity. It has taught me what hard work, determination, patience, and what being there for someone else truly means.
Describe a mistake you made while competing and how you overcame it.
Alexis: I have made the mistake of taking it too seriously and getting too caught up in mistakes I would make when playing. I have learned that I play my best when I am truly enjoying it. Life is too short to worry about a mistake you made on the field. I鈥檝e learned to accept them and see them as a good thing because that is how you get better!!!
How would you describe the experience of playing college soccer alongside your sister, Isabella?
Alexis: Playing college soccer with my sister has been the most surreal experience, and I wouldn’t change it for the world. We are very different, but we make each other better people and players, which has been the greatest gift. We went from winning state in high school to winning the SoCon regular season and tournament champions together. I wouldn鈥檛 have wanted to have anyone else by my side besides her.
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- SoCon Championship All-Tournament Team
- 2023 CSC All-District Honors
- 2023-24 Southern Conference Academic Honor Roll
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