It didn’t take long for Heather Martin, sophomore goalkeeper, to realize that soccer was the sport for her, but she made sure she had a taste of every sport before she committed to the one.
Martin tried basketball, volleyball and softball. Lastly, she tried soccer, and knew she found what she was looking for since the beginning.
Martin attended Midlothian High School where she led her team to a 22-2-1 record and District 8-6A Championship her junior year. She was also selected to All-District 8-6A Second Team.
In 2016, Martin’s senior year, she was named to first team All-Region and selected to the All-District 8-6A First Team and was named co-goalkeeper District MVP.
However, like most soccer players, Martin didn’t get noticed by Texas State or any other universities through high school. It was on her club soccer team, SE Dallas 98 ECNL, where her skills were noticed.
“They reached out to me after they saw me in an ECNL tournament,” Martin said. “I really loved the family vibe I got from the coaching staff and all the girls that were there helping with the camp that actually played on the team. They were so nice it was just a really good environment.”
On Aug. 19, 2016, Heather started in her first Texas State game where she and the Bobcats traveled to Beaumont, Texas, to face the Lamar University Cardinals.
“It was so nerve-wracking, I remember coming in and being a freshman, I had to step up and show out for my team,” Martin said. “It was really nerve-wracking, but at the end of it I was so pumped and I was just ready to see where it goes.”
Martin ended her freshman year with 15 starts, 61 saves and a 0.79 save percentage while surrendering only 16 goals.
She came into her sophomore year as the team’s starting goalkeeper, and she didn’t disappoint.
Halfway through the 2017 season, Martin had 20 saves and finished the season 10-6-1 and 8-2 in the Sun Belt Conference.
Martin ended the season with a total of 54 saves after a 10 save loss against South Alabama.
During the regular season, Martin felt the team treated each other as more than just teammates which contributed to the chemistry and overall success of the team.
Martin and the Bobcats reached the end of their season after a 2-1 loss to Coastal Carolina in the Sun Belt Conference tournament. Martin collected six more saves in the game, upping her season total to 60 and her career total to 121.
“We all don’t see ourselves as teammates, we see ourselves as family,” Martin said. “I just really think we stepped up and came together as a team more than ever, so it’s really exciting.”