During the last week of the season Mayra Lopez scored two goals in two straight games as the Brahmas finished the season defeating Cuesta College at home 5-1 and Oxnard 3-0 on the road. Lopez had a strong second half, and is now one of the Brahmas’ primary scoring threats heading into the playoffs.
You have been on a roll these past few weeks, why have you been playing so well?
The hard work has definitely paid off. I definitely have a supportive team right behind me as well as the coaches. They are always pushing me. I have definitely been able to overcome a lot of the obstacles that have been holding me back and I definitely expect us to bring all that hard work come playoffs.
In the last two games of the year you scored two creative goals, one against Cuesta and one against Oxnard. How are you able to make the moves that you make to get around defenders?
It is definitely my style of play and I like to create plays and it’s something I have been working on for a long time now. I definitely decided to put it on the field and try to bring the same energy and the same hard work to our game this Saturday.
During the season your conditioning was a little bit off due to the fact that you were still recovering from your knee injury. How are you able to overcome that and get back to playing soccer at a high level?
The conditioning was the biggest setback I have had. It’s definitely difficult to get in shape during season, let alone trying to bring strong play to the field. Thankfully I have overcame it with my team and they have been supporting since day one and so have the coaches. I’m definitely looking forward to keeping up the good work.
What mental approach does it take to keep playing through the hard times?
I believe that is the beauty of soccer right there because it’s not always going to be easy. It has been very hard for me and my team to maintain good form. But I believe with the right kind of motivation, the right kind of hard work and just focusing on what you want and not stopping; that mentally has gotten me to where I am right now.
What does your team have to do to make sure this team goes farther in the playoffs than last year’s team despite not winning a conference championship?
I strongly believe we’re hungry for the state title. It’s very upsetting to know that we weren’t first in conference like last year. But we have our eyes on the prize and we are going to push as far as we can in playoffs.
