A Soccer Star Emerges…

Vanesha has also played for the Nevada ODP or Olympic Development Program where she went to three regional camps and was selected for the regional pool. She recalls being excited, as this is how girls get selected for the nationals. She also recalls being very homesick. “I hated it! It’s always the first week of July and I was in Wyoming on the 4th of July with nobody I know because you have to stay over (night) if you’re chosen. I was the only person from Nevada that was picked to stay and I knew no one there. I was young though, and it was my birthday and I didn’t want to stay. If I could go back now I probably would have stayed, but I was young.” Vanesha states that this is probably the only regret of her soccer career.

Vanesha was first noticed by college soccer coaches at the College Coaches Classic, an event held in California each year. She remembers being very intimidated playing in front of them. “They’re all sitting on the sidelines, looking, and you know, they have their notebooks open and they’re writing on everyone. It’s really kind of intimidating. You really feel like you have to perform. That was a different experience because then I felt a lot more pressure.” After the Coaches Classic, Vanesha was showered with letters of interest from various colleges. Her first letter came from UCLA; her dream school! Her Dad decided to help her put together a video of her playing to send to various schools.