Rogelio Chavez: Tarleton’s Men’s Club Soccer Winger/Striker

BY ANNABETH JOHNSON

Multimedia Journalist

With the warmer weather and clearer skies of spring comes new outdoor activities to support and be involved in at Tarleton State University.

Sophomore Rogelio Chavez became involved in these activities and has been an athlete on the Tarleton Men’s Club Soccer team since his freshman year.

Chavez’s position on the Men’s Club Soccer team switches between being a winger and a striker.

The job of a striker is to score and lead the offensive line for the team.

When playing position as a winger, Chavez’s job as an attacker is to run and remain on the left or right side of the field to open spaces for the team to score.

Chavez’s talent and love for soccer was not discovered in college but first began at the age of seven and influenced by his father.

His father played semi-professional soccer in Mexico and put Chavez on a soccer team at a young age.

As the years progressed, soccer switched from just a sport to something Chavez truly loved doing.

“I play soccer because it is a stress reliever for me,” Chavez said. “I forget about everything else, and it gives me joy and keeps me fit.”

While gaining experience and improving upon his skills, Chavez explained the challenges of playing the sport.

“I am usually always tired because it is a lot of practice and games,” Chavez said. “Your schedule is always busy. I am always just tired and sore, but it is very worth it.”

Although soccer has some challenges, from always keeping your schedule full to the strain it can put on your body, the positives of playing the sport outweigh the negatives.

“My favorite part of playing soccer is being able to show off what I have — my skill,” Chavez said. “Just being able to have fun while also working out. It’s also competitive, and I am a very competitive person. It gives me motivation to just do more, get better.”

As well as playing soccer, Chavez is a Tarleton student majoring in kinesiology.

Chavez’s academic concentration is focused on occupational therapy, which he plans to pursue after college.

Chavez has been balancing soccer and his classes for so long that it now feels like second nature.

The Men’s Club Soccer team has two practices a day, and Chavez studies in between that time and after practice in order to maintain his high grades and stay on top of his academics.

Chavez extends some advice to those who are considering getting into the sport or just looking to improve their skills.

“Soccer is one of the most difficult sports to get good at because not everyone is good with their feet,” Chavez said. “You definitely have to have a lot of stamina, be quick and be good with your feet. You have to be consistent and give it your full effort in order to get better, and that’s really for anything.”

The men’s soccer club started off the season with a 1-1 tie against Baylor University at their last game.

Chavez and the Men’s Club Soccer have their next game at Trinity University on March 22 at 3 p.m., so make sure to get out and go support your Tarleton Texans.