PHARR — The first time a young Victoria Treviño saw her father and older brother playing soccer, she knew she wanted to give the game a go. Although Dad didn’t think she would like it much and wanted to protect his 8-year-old daughter from the sport, the moment he saw her play her first game, he saw she was a natural.
“How did you learn to play like that?” her father Armando asked on the drive home.
“You,” the younger Treviño replied.
And when Treviño, a recent PSJA North graduate and four-year letterman, signed her letter of intent to play soccer at the University of Houston-Victoria on Thursday inside the PSJA North library, her father/first coach, brother and mother were right by her side.
“These people are special and are why I’m here today and why I enjoy playing the beautiful game of soccer. I’m glad they were all here with me to enjoy this moment of signing to play at the collegiate level,” Treviño said.
Treviño spent three years playing varsity soccer at PSJA Southwest before transferring to PSJA North for her senior season, earning all-district honors all four years. As a senior, Treviño, a forward, was a team captain, scoring eight goals and leading PSJA North with five assists on the year. She was also named the Most Valuable Player of the 12th Annual East-West Soccer All-Star Game after her goal gave the West a 2-1 win.
“We spoke to her at the beginning of the season that not only was she going to have to fill the role of a player, but she was going to have to be one of the team leaders. We needed her to be a team captain, a team-leader, and a mentor for the underclassmen,” PSJA North head coach Jesus Palomin said. “She answered, ‘Don’t worry, Coach, I got it.’ She’s a player that comes with a lot of want. Not only on the playing field, but she’s a perfect example of what a student-athlete should be.”
Armando Treviño’s fondest memory of his daughter’s playing days was when her team was facing an uphill battle against a stronger squad one time. The opposing coach didn’t think much of the team, but after she drilled two goals from 20-30 feet out, he was on his heels.
“The coach said it’s not going to happen again. But, guys, believe it, she scored three goals that game and I keep that game in my heart as if it was yesterday,” Armando Treviño said. “She’s done so much in the sport of soccer. We’re very proud of her. As a father, I know we’re all proud of her, and now she’s going to college and I know for a fact that she’s going to do well.”