As a child, when asked what they wanted to be when they grow up, most young athletes would answer with, “I want to be a professional at my sport.” For one young athlete, Melaine Barcenas, the youngest to play in the USA National Women’s Soccer League, this dream would be a reality sooner than she expected. Barcenas, a San Diego native, was 15 years old when she played her first NWSL match as a high schooler. At a conference for the San Diego Wave FC, Barcenas’ team, she discussed the opening season saying, “I think it’s really awesome to see opportunities for girls my age and generations after to have an opportunity to represent their own hometown team.”
It is very rare that a player this young gets an opportunity like this. As we know, Barcenas is a female athlete, and in the sports world, females aren’t represented as much. Barcenas signing the NWSL’s new under-18 entry mechanism which allows players under 18 to sign with their parents, at such a young age as a female really shows the empowerment she has, motivating and inspiring others to achieve their own goals. She is a big role model for many people and stands up to the gender stereotypes in sports and how early you can achieve goals. Her young soccer career and hard work definitely paid off.
I interviewed some of our student athletes here at Berkley and took a look at how they relate to Barcenas’ situation. I talked to sophomore Hailey Kirkwood, a varsity midfielder on the BHS Girls’ soccer team, about what she thinks about Barcenas, “I think Barcenas is an outstanding and strong player and is achieving great things at her age. I want to learn to work as hard as her. What makes her a particularly strong player is she has the speed and quickness to be very technical and carry the ball well. What motivates me is she works really hard and is dedicated to playing pro when she is only 15.
Next, I interviewed sophomore Madi Bonsil, another varsity midfielder on the BHS girls’ soccer team, “I think that she is an inspiration for many younger girl soccer players and that you can still be young and achieve big things. I think her story is inspiring because she was the youngest person to do what she did, so it shows that you don’t have to be a certain age to achieve big goals.”
Barcenas is very good at what she does and the story of her and the life of these athletes here at Berkley, show the determination, hard work, and excitement from these young female athletes. Her story can encourage more than just high school students, inspiring young girls and boys to not give up on their desires and ambition to become better athletes in the future.