Oct. 3, 2013
By Matt Allibone, GoPSUsports.com Student Staff Writer
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - As soon as her freshman season ended with a 4-1 loss to North Carolina in the 2012 National Championship Game, Penn State midfielder Raquel Rodriguez stopped to ask herself one question; what could she do to get better?
Although most freshmen would have been satisfied with a campaign in which they claimed Big Ten Freshmen of the Year while helping bring their team to the cusp of a championship, the San Jose, Costa Rica native knew that she had plenty of work to do.
"Getting that award made me happy, but I tried not to think about it too much," said Rodriguez. "I wanted to use it as a motivator because I knew I still had plenty of weaknesses to work on."
Now 11 games into her sophomore campaign, it is getting harder and harder to find weaknesses in Rodriguez's game.
One of the team's most versatile players, the sophomore currently leads the Nittany Lions in assists (seven) and is tied for third on the team in points (13). Her skills were put on display last week when she registered two goals and one assist in back-to-back wins over Purdue and Indiana to claim Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week honors.
Despite the continued awards, Rodriguez has refused to allow her demeanor and focus shift at all.
"Any kind of award is welcomed but you don't want to let it add extra pressure," said Rodriguez. "At the end of the day (the award) is a product of the team."
Rodriguez's modest attitude towards personal success is one of the things that has endeared her to her teammates just as much as her impressive corner kicks have.
"She is probably one of the nicest, most genuine people that I have ever met," said redshirt senior captain Lexi Marton. "She's probably one of the most talented players Penn State soccer has ever seen and you'd never expect it because she's so humble."
"Rockie," as her teammates affectionately call her, has brought much more to the Nittany Lions since arriving in Happy Valley than a big smile and a positive attitude.
Equally talented as both a midfielder and a forward, Rodriguez's all-around game has helped Penn State fill the void that was left when All-American midfielder Christine Nairn graduated after last season.
"Having lost Christine we knew going into the season that Rockie was going to have to be huge for us," said Marton. "She's been a force for us both offensively and defensively and her dominance makes you think she's a lot more experienced than a sophomore."
Both Rodriguez and head coach Erica Walsh have attributed her impressive season to the work ethic that she displayed over the course of the summer.
After her freshmen season left her with a desire to get stronger and more physical, Rodriguez returned to Penn State from her home country of Costa Rica early in so that she could work on her physique with strength and conditioning coach Greg Miskinis.
"She trained really well this summer and made sure she was well prepared coming into the season," said Walsh. "She really runs the flow of the game for us and at a time of the season when you need your big stars to step up and played like a star."
While Rodriguez has established herself as one of the Lions go-to players, but it is still hard for both her and Walsh to believe that her journey at Penn State has even happened.
As a child growing up in Costa Rica, playing soccer and studying at an American university was merely a dream that the midfielder did not believe was possible until Walsh witnessed her playing for the U-17 Costa Rican National team at a tournament in Florida when she was 14.
A long recruitment process eventually landed Rodriguez at Penn State, where her experience playing in internationally has benefited her greatly.
"Playing in (internationally) really helped me because not only was I playing against elite players but also in front of big crowds," said Rodriguez. "Getting used to that kind of environment is difficult for a lot of high school players to make."
Though she will always look back fondly on her years playing in Costa Rica, Rodrigues describes playing for the Blue and White as a dream come true.
The only school in America that she visited and considered attending, Rodriguez is proud to be a Nittany Lion for life.
"Being a part of this program is an honor," said Rodriguez. "Penn State makes you better as a player and as a person and that's what makes it such a special family."