McALLEN — As Abby Rocha signed Wednesday to play soccer for Schreiner University, the moment was more about the long, arduous journey than the destination.
And she was thrilled with the destination, especially considering she watched her team this season from the sidelines, recovering from a knee injury. An injury that reoccurred time and again and she would play through. An injury, she was told, that would most likely continue to haunt her until something permanent was done.
Her story is so much more than a high school athlete earning the chance to follow her dream and play at the next level. It’s a story about not giving up, about making tough decisions, giving up the short-term satisfaction for long-term gratification. It’s about teary-eyed days and nights worrying.
It’s a Cinderella story for everyone at any age who wants to pursue a dream.
On Tuesday, all those days and nights became real as she put pen to paper inside the Rowe gym with family, coaches, friends and more looking on. Many of those were integral in Rocha’s determination, her belief, to have this day come.
“When some coaches heard I had been injured, they would tell me they needed to see me in person,” she said. “But coach (Melanie Chandler) believed in me and I believed in myself.
“I’ve wanted to play at the next level since I was, like, 4.”
Rocha transferred to Rowe in 2020. Ironically, Rowe head coach John Martinez said when he first met Rocha, she was on crutches.
“She was a special talent,” he said. “You could see that right away.”
As a sophomore, she scored 11 goals and had seven assists. She erupted as a junior, scoring 21 goals and showing a deft touch with 14 assists. She was named second-team all district and second team All-Area.
Later, she was a part of the local Dynamo team that made it to the age group’s national tournament. And was injured again.
“I can’t tell you how many times we had tear-filled conversations,” Martinez said. “She was worried about letting me down, letting her team down, and I told her that wasn’t going to happen. She wasn’t letting anyone down.
“This was about her future. She is a warrior, and great things are going to happen for her at that next level.”