Abbigail (Abby) Ramirez is a senior who was born on May 8, 2008. She started playing soccer at the age of 5 for the All Stars team. Abby was influenced by her father to begin playing soccer since he used to play when he was younger. At 17, she is a varsity player on the Pasco High girls’ soccer team. She plays as a goalkeeper and wears jersey number 00.  

Abby plays one of the hardest positions in the game. Is there any other position she would like to play? 

“I would still play goalkeeper because I love the pressure that comes with playing in that position. I also love that I get to be aggressive to try and protect the goal.” 

As stated, goalkeeping is one of the hardest positions, so what is one of the most challenging things for her? 

“The most challenging part is messing up because everyone can see when I mess up in my spot. The pressure is on the spot too because everyone is counting on me to save it from being a goal.” 

Not every goal can be saved, so how does Abby deal with loss? 

“I deal with the loss by coming back harder and practicing the mistakes I made in the game before, so I’m better for the next game and better for my team.” 

The girls’ soccer team doesn’t win a lot, so how does she feel after a win? How does she celebrate? 

“After a win, I feel proud of the team and myself because of how well they played against the other team, and I feel good about how I played in the game. How I celebrate the win is by going to get some Taco Bell after.” 

How does Abby train outside of practice? 

“I train outside by doing weights at the gym so I’m stronger when the season comes.” 

Abby seems to want to be stronger, so what are her goals for the season? 

“My goal for this season is to make sure that my team can depend on me when they need me, they can trust me with being their goalie, and to make it to districts.” 

Mark Figueroa is Abby’s coach, and he believes she deserves to be the athlete of the week because, “Yeah, absolutely. Goalkeeping, especially in our program, has been a very important position. A goalkeeper can have a great game, but if they mess up once, everybody notices. So, it’s a lot of pressure to go into every single game. But they are also important because without them, you can’t play the game. So, Abby has been a very important part of our program ever since we took over. So, it’s well deserved.” 

Coach Mark stated that Abby is an important part of the program, so does he believe she deserves the position she is in? 

“She’s definitely grown. I think when we took over, she was a sophomore, and there was a senior goalkeeper who was just kind of a mentor to her and showed her the way. And then last year we were lucky enough to have two goalkeepers competing for a spot, and I think that really helped out at the position because we benefited from both. You know, it was always the best goalkeeper who played the game, so that was important.” 

What is something that sets her apart from the rest? 

“She’s a good director, in a sense of she knows how to drive people, how to delegate responsibilities. I think that is important as a goalkeeper. She really shined when we were doing concessions. She just knows, she has that voice, and she drives everybody. So, I think that is really important for a goalkeeper.” 

She stands out from the rest of her teammates by being a goalkeeper alone, so what are some of her qualities that the coach looks for to build a good team? 

“Being vocal is important, especially because she gets the best view of the entire field, and so she makes sure that her defense is set up well, that her midfield is set up well. So, that’s a really good quality. She’s resilient, pushes through, and she has a good heart that she wants to play always.” 

From the coach’s perspective, what type of person is Abby during games and practice? 

“She used to be pretty shy and quiet. But I think she’s slowly breaking out of her shell. In practice she’s more opened up, obviously, but on game day, she is locked in and does her part. Lately, she has been more energetic, which we’ve enjoyed, and I appreciate that.” 

What are her strengths and weaknesses that he seems to notice? 

“Strengths, like I said, she has the experience. She’s learned from a lot of good mentors in the past, and from our goalkeeper coach as well. That is really important, and she wants to learn too. Weaknesses: I think we all have areas to improve. But one of them is just being more vocal on the field because we need her to do that, and being that extra set of eyes for defense. Like she has their backs. So, I think that it is important for her to own that role. Like not just being a goalkeeper but being an actual player and being comfortable with their feet, to come out and play with the ball.” 

Mariana Zacarias has trained alongside Abby as a goalkeeper, and she believes Abby deserves athlete of the week because, “Yes, I think she does because she’s a very hard worker, she always shows up to practice and is always giving her 100%. But not only that, she teaches me everything she knows about goalkeeping. She has even helped me become a better athlete because of that.” 

To Mariana, what is something that makes Abby stand out from the rest? 

“I think of her determination. She always wants to be better and, like I said, she is very hardworking. She is very strong, and she has like a grip mindset. So, if she were to have a setback, she’ll always come back stronger.” 

Does she believe Abby deserves the position she is in? 

“Yes, being a goalkeeper is not for the weak people. You need a strong mindset, and she has that 100%. She’s very determined when she’s in the goal. I can tell she locks in instantly.” 

From Mariana’s perspective, what type of person is she during games and practice? 

“During practice, she’s pretty locked in. We also have fun here and there, and that’s what I like about Abby. She knows when to lock in and when to have fun. During games, she is definitely locked in. I can tell by looking at her face and when they are doing warmups and all that stuff.” 

Is Abby a friend on and off the field? 

“Yes, 100%. Abby is one of my closest friends. She makes other teammates feel like they have been her friend for a long time.” 

What did Mariana see Abby do to get into the position she is in? 

“I kind of asked her about it. She’s told me that she’s played soccer for the majority of her life. She used to be a defender but decided to pursue goalkeeping.” 

Abbigail Ramirez is a senior who has played soccer for most of her life and has worked hard to be in the position she is in. Since she’s in her senior year, it is her final high school soccer season. But will she continue to play after high school? 

“I will not keep playing after high school because I don’t have the skills to make it to college level, which is okay. After high school, I hope to continue with track in college and hope to get a job as a Wildland firefighter during the summer.”