Friday was an emotional day for Paloma Zamora and her family, as the Brownsville Pace midfielder/forward signed to play soccer for West Virginia Wesleyan College.
Zamora, her parents and sister were overcome with pride and gratitude as they delivered speeches during the ceremony, thanking all who played a part in the future Bobcats athlete reaching her goal of playing college soccer. She will be competing in the Mountain East Conference at the NCAA Division II level.
“It means a lot to me because I’ve been working so hard since I was young in Mexico,” Zamora said. “I came to the United States in 2018, and since then I’ve had a lot of opportunities in soccer. I’ve been working so hard and so long. To get this is, like, (a sigh of relief).”
Zamora had a slew of schools looking at her, but the strong academics at WVWC were a plus for the straight-A student. She will be studying exercise science and wants to be a physical therapist.
“I had a lot of schools looking at me because I went to showcases, tournaments. They were interested in me, emailed me, called me and all that,” Zamora said. “I chose West Virginia because it’s the best option for me. It’s a really good school academically, and soccer is really good, too. It means a lot to have my college paid for.”
Pace coach Jesus Villarreal called Zamora a talented player and a good example for the young girls that got to play with her. Zamora had a laser focus on playing soccer after high school, and she didn’t let anything distract her from putting in the work to get there. She wants younger athletes with similar goals to know that “if you want it, you will get it if you’re disciplined and focused.”
Zamora said she had a lot of people supporting her throughout her career and plans to represent Pace well in Buckhannon, W. Va.
“First of all, I thank my parents because they have helped me and been my No. 1 fans since Day 1. My dad, since I was little, he taught me a lot of technical stuff. I believe my technique (is one of my best skills). And my grandparents from Mexico and my guardians from Brownsville, because without them I couldn’t be here,” Zamora said.
