Mandalyn Lewallen

Texas State freshman midfielder Victoria Meza (4) dribbles the ball down the side of the field during the game against TSU, Thursday, Sept. 7, 2023, at Bobcat Soccer Complex.

Freshman midfielder Victoria Meza grew up playing soccer competitively and professionally in El Salvador. Since she arrived at Texas State, her ability has proven to add confidence and increase goal production for Bobcat soccer.

Whether it was a basketball, volleyball or soccer ball, Meza said she had a ball in her hands or at her feet since she can remember. After Head Coach Steve Holeman recruited her to Texas State, Meza has used her experiences playing on the El Salvador Women’s National team to add skill and professional experience to the Bobcat roster.

“As a family, we’d been talking about my future [and] if I wanted to go pro,” Meza said. “After a lot of conversations we were like ‘What are you going to do after your sport? That’s going to be tops, ten years.’ So [my parents said] ‘You need your studies.’”

As a member of the El Salvador national team, Meza is sometimes subject to leaving Sun Belt Conference play to fulfill her national duty. However, when the Bobcats do have her, Meza’s contributions are greatly appreciated.

“She’s a talented player,” Holeman said. “I think she’s the type of player who makes the players around her better. We certainly missed her for three games, and now that we have her back, I think our team as a whole has improved.”

Meza has played in five games for the national team in 2023 scoring three goals. With each of her professional appearances, her technical abilities grow stronger due to the intensity of the matches at this level. She said this experience has improved her ability to remain collected in high-stakes situations.

“It helps me with controlling the pressure and the nervousness,” Meza said. “I don’t really have much of an idea which schools are big and all that, so I feel the same playing every school.”

Since transferring, Meza’s ability has proven its value as in regular season matches, she is tied for second in goals and assists with three and four respectively. When it came to scoring, Meza tied for second with three goals.

With each goal counting for two points and each assist counting for one, Meza’s 10-point season saw her out-perform the rest of Texas State soccer’s freshman class, who altogether accumulated seven points.

According to freshman goalkeeper Caitlyn Draper, Meza’s abilities offer Bobcat soccer players a consistent and trustworthy passing option.

“She’s a big presence for us,” Draper said. “We always find her on punts and goal kicks. If you see her she’s always in the mix trying to get a header. So, I think she just adds that character for us.”

Holeman agrees Meza’s ability is of a high tier, and said the field isn’t the only place Bobcats can find Meza working hard. Due to her love for the game, Meza’s dedication is visible in many of her habits.

“Off the field, I mean, she’s a player who watches the game, studies the game and learns and understands the game,” Holeman said. “Not everyone does that, you know? I think you could go through a lot of college soccer players in general and not many of them watch enough soccer.”

Meza’s keen understanding of soccer along with her valuable international experience have brought success to the Texas State program. Not only is she providing points for the Bobcats, but she is also representing her home, which brings pride to her respective Texas State community, according to Holeman.

“As far as being proud of her, when she represents her country, I think it’s a proud moment for anyone on our team or staff,” Holeman said. “[The fact] that you have someone playing, that you have the opportunity to coach, that’s representing their entire nation.”