Learning, whether it’s about something new or old, doesn’t come easy. Which is why we have mentors in life. A mentor can be anyone; family members, teachers, etc. For many who play sports, they look up to their coaches as mentors. Qualities of a good coach are commonly recognized as motivating, disciplined, and understanding. These qualities can not only help shape the technique in which they coach, but also the relationships they develop with their players. However, in sports, mentors don’t only come in the form of coaches, but also fellow teammates.  

At Lamar, our Girl’s Soccer team has learned the importance of mentorship, especially through these past seasons. During the 2024-2025 season, our team’s style was mostly aggressive, with former coach Azeez Shifatu. Senior Player, Nahomy Portillo, remarks, “Last season the coach was more focused on getting into the game early and attacking quickly.” This play style was able to get the team an overall record of 22-2-1 in the last season and place them 1st in our district! 

Now in the 2025-2026 season, our players have a new coach, Joaquin Ortiz. Ortiz has been coaching soccer for the past 16 years at Pershing Middle School, and still coaches there during the day, and comes to coach our Lamar players after school. However, balancing this double life hasn’t been easy, “The hardest part is having to commute back and forth from Pershing to Lamar. It can be tiring.” Fortunately, the team understands the challenge their coach goes through to be able to help them, and are able to make it easier for Coach Ortiz by taking care of tasks such as their warmup routine before he gets there, “It allows me to continue on with training without having to start at the beginning,” notes Ortiz. Overall, with the help from his players, being able to help them in return is easy.  

This season, while the girls have been working with Coach Ortiz, the communication and support from the coach definitely shows throughout their games. With his help, our varsity girls’ soccer team has set their record at 5-4-1 for this season so far! The players all recognize how working with Coach Ortiz has been able to shape the way their team performs.  Portillo, states, “Last season the coach was more focused on getting into the game early and attacking quickly. This year’s coach pushes us to move the ball around and make sure we communicate to get everyone involved. They’re both great coaches who have brought something valuable to the program,” which makes it clear the impact both coaches have had throughout these past two seasons, despite their different approaches to the sport.  

While the coaches are a big contribution to how the team plays, it is also important to recognize how the players have been able to help each other. Sophomore, Isabel Flores, recognizes how her teammates have been able to help her in her confidence, in and out of the sport, “My coaches have definitely played a part in building my confidence, also my teammates. If they ever see me struggling, they’ll help me out and reassure me, whether it be by cheering me on or other things of the sort.” The type of support the players have been able to build within their team truly shows the dedication they have to the sport through creating spaces to nurture each other.  

It’s clear our players all feel the effect of Coach Ortiz’ coaching on the field, but what does Coach Ortiz think? Well, according to him, Coach Ortiz has found coaching the Lamar Texans Girls Soccer Team has been a pleasure, “I have got an amazing group of athletes. They are a fun and talented group of girls.” Moreover, Ortiz highlights his first wins as a varsity coach and even his first district wins as fond memories he’s made here.  

Overall, the effort put in by our Varsity Girl’s soccer team is apparent. Without the dedication and hard work of the players, as well as the drive and motivation from their coaches, they wouldn’t be where they are today, and we can’t wait to see what’s next for them further in the season.