DONNA — As impressive as it was to watch Donna North’s Nancy Espino’s rise to the top alongside the Valley’s elite girls soccer players, what was more of an eye-popper was how little time her rocket-like ascent into the group took.
Unlike many athletes who are born with “a soccer ball on their foot” or “a baseball in their hands,” Espino didn’t begin playing soccer until she was 11 years old.
Four all-district and two all-area awards later, Espino on Wednesday signed her national letter of intent to continue her academic and athletic career with Bethany College, an NAIA school that plays in the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference, and is located in Lindsborg, Kansas.
During her four years for the Chiefs, Espino scored 70 goals and, according to head coach Tony Garcia, was responsible for 60% or more of the team’s total goals during her four seasons. She routinely collected assists and finding the right person to put the ball in the back of the net — that person usually being longtime friend and teammate Gabby Aviles.
“Nancy was just an unbelievable player for us,” Garcia said. “For four years she was just amazing to watch, and she came up big in several big matches for us.”
Those goals, assists and that career almost never developed.
Espino started her athletic endeavors in karate and swimming. Her first time on a field with soccer players her age came when she played with the boys in elementary school. The only training she had was playing outside her house with a neighbor.
“I started with the boys and it was really hard,” Espino said. “I was struggling not only not knowing how to play but also playing with boys. My mom saw I was struggling and she put me on a team of all girls in Weslaco.
“I began as a defensive player but I sure would’ve loved to discover my love for the sport a little earlier.”
But Espino’s persistence and passion, along with encouragement from her mother, kept her spirits up and her goals higher.
“I’m a very sensitive person, so any type of comment I’d have a hard time taking it as something positive,” she said. “She told me I needed to realize that they were trying to help me out.”
Fast forward just a few years to this season.
Donna North finished second in District 32-6A and playing an area-round matchup against San Antonio O’Connor, which won District 29-6A. The Chiefs were down 1-0 midway through the second half, Espino had the ball with a defender on her and another one charging her. Aviles was marked by “three big girls,” Espino said.
When she looked up, she saw the net. She was right at her most comfortable and deadliest distance, about 25 yards out. Garcia yelled at her to pull the trigger and she did.
The ball hit the top post.
“I thought to myself, ‘You’ve got to be kidding,’” she said. “I had the whole goal and I had to hit the post. It went over a really tall goalie but then it bounced once and I saw it hit the back of the net. They were a great team and I thought that goal would give us hope.”
The game went into penalty kicks. Espino converted hers and the Chiefs advanced to the next round. Not a bad career so far for a “late bloomer.”
“She started pretty old,” Aviles said. “Before she joined the Sharks (A Valley travel team) and before she played with me and we would play them, she just really stood out then. She would take all the free kicks and kick it super far. I’m pretty sure she was one year in it and it would go so far. I couldn’t do it then at my age. She had the most potential on that team.
“She’s already great, but if she had started younger who know how great she would be.”