Sophomore Mallory Van Voorhis is the goalie and team captain for the Lady Hornets soccer team. She has been playing soccer at Fullerton College for two years.

“I started playing soccer when I was four,” said Van Voorhis. “That’s kind of been my thing ever since I started playing keeper since I was 12.”

Van Voorhis, who commutes from Chino Hills to attend school said that some of the factors for which she chose FC over any other community college are the campus, its size, and that it’s close to her grandparent’s house.

“I originally wanted to go to a four-year [university], but obviously things didn’t work out, but Fullerton has been the best thing for me,” said Van Voorhis. “I’ve gotten almost all of my classes every semester, gotten a lot of my stuff done and hopefully this is my last year.”

She also talked about how she likes that FC is like a community and most people are very welcoming. “I feel like the best friends that you make are [the people you meet] in college,” said Van .

Van Voorhis plans to transfer to Cal State University of Fullerton, and get her bachelor’s degree in criminal justice.

On the soccer field, Van Voorhis is a player who is commended by both coaches and her teammates.

Amador Nuñez, who has been coaching for 25 years, three of which have been at FC, described Van Voorhis as “assertive, aggressive and a leader on the field.”

“She leads by example by being vocal to her teammates when need be, it’s always constructive [criticism], it’s never negative,” said Nuñez. “She’s like a coach on the field, she’s really good.”

Naylsa Muñoz, who has been playing with Van Voorhis for two seasons mentioned that Van Voorhis always finds a way to keep the other players motivated even if they are losing.

“She keeps our heads in the game; she always says positive things and she knows how to talk to us in a way that never puts us down,” said Muñoz.

For Van Voorhis, playing soccer at FC also became a way for her to make new friends.

“My first year, I really wanted to focus on school, but once I started playing my second year, I realized that I had been making a lot of friends,” she said.

Aside from friends, some of the rewards that come with playing soccer included getting in shape and having the opportunity of being contacted by scouts from different universities.

“I got an email from University of Louisiana Monroe and they want to see footage of me,” Van Voorhis said. “That’s definitely an opportunity to go out there and play.”

Van Voorhis is still considering whether she will continue playing soccer after she transfers to CSUF.

“Once I get to a four-year [university,] I really want to focus on my grades because I really want to do well” she said.

After college, Van Voorhis would like to become a soccer coach because she thinks it would be fun.

She also mentioned she would like to do something similar to her coach, Amador Nuñez. “He’s a police officer and he also coaches,” she said.

“Just go for it,” Van Voorhis says to any students considering playing soccer. “If you look back on it and you didn’t like it, so what? At least you did it. It doesn’t hurt to try, just go for it.”