By CLAIRE CRUZ, Staff Writer
Brownsville Jubilee attacking midfielder Corina Arizmendi accomplished a goal she dreamed about for years when she signed to play soccer for Salem University on Saturday.
Arizmendi would’ve liked to have had a big ceremony with family and friends to celebrate her milestone, but due to COVID-19, she elected to have a small ceremony at her home. Even if it wasn’t the signing she expected, the senior said that day was a special one that meant a lot to her.
“It was a really great day, a day that I’ve dreamed of since I was in middle school and realized you could go to college and play a sport that you love,” Arizmendi said. “To have that opportunity was really great. It was so surreal. Signing was just, like, ‘Wow, it’s really happening and it’s really exciting.’”
Arizmendi will be playing for the Salem University Tigers in West Virginia under coach Theophilus “Theo” Egbele. The Tigers play in the Great Midwest Athletic Conference at the NCAA Division II level. Egbele’s commitment to Arizmendi throughout the recruitment process was a key element to her deciding Salem was the place for her.
“The coach had been contacting me since the summer, and it was actually the first school that contacted me,” Arizmendi said. “He always stayed in touch with me and had something that other coaches didn’t. He was always on top of things and reaching out to me, always there and I feel like I can count on him. I had a really good connection with him, so choosing that college, I knew it was right for me.”
Moving so far from home will be an adjustment for Arizmendi, but she feels confident she can handle it. Two of the biggest influences in her soccer life are her father, Cesar, and her trainer, Leah Russell Gonzalez. Both left home to play college soccer, and since they’ve been walking her through what to expect, she believes she can do it, too.
Arizmendi trains with Gonzalez at HardKnox Strength & Performance, but their connection goes back many years. Gonzalez played soccer for the University of Texas at Brownsville, and Arizmendi grew up often going to those games, which helped her fall in love with the sport. She also attended UTB summer soccer camps every year, which is how her relationship with Gonzalez started.
Jorge Lazo from Atlas Soccer Academy is the third person Arizmendi credited with having a big impact on her soccer career. She said he taught her about different styles of soccer and helped establish her foundation as an athlete from a young age. Arizmendi credited both Gonzalez and Lazo with being “a big part” of her achievement.
Arizmendi was especially thankful toward her dad, who doubled as her coach through the Brownsville Elite organization and for her first two years at Brownsville Jubilee. She said the set pieces he taught the team while at Jubilee, which helped reform the program into a state-finalist at the charter school level, refined her skills.
“My dad has been the biggest influence ever since I was 3 years old when he started coaching me,” Arizmendi said. “He really developed me into the player I am today. Although his trainings were so hard and crazy, he really did help me and I’m so thankful for that.”
Arizmendi will be majoring in biology while playing for the Tigers and wants to become a veterinarian after her career is through. But before she moves on to the next level, she has her sights set on getting Jubilee to the playoffs.
“I’m really focusing on getting to the playoffs this year. Last year we were in the playoffs but didn’t get to play because of COVID, so hopefully this year everything goes well and we get back and do really good on the season,” Arizmendi said.