Samantha Arellano moved with rhythm. She shook her hips. Twist to the right. Twist to the left. A spin to the right. Another shake.
No, Samantha was not dancing. Or maybe she was.
Those were some of the moves the San Ysidro girls soccer player displayed as she dribbled a ball after repeatedly bouncing it off a wall. The ball ricocheted off a building near the school's gymnasium as "Sammy" – as her friends call her – waited to speak to a reporter.
"She doesn't waste any time," said Clara Durón, Sammy's mother. "Every chance she gets, there's a ball at her feet. Now, that I think about it she always has a ball at her feet."
The mother spoke just as Sammy kicked another ball, smacking it on the cement, sending an echo across the area.
And if she is not bouncing it off walls or shooting it into nets, Sammy is juggling a ball between her feet, often to the sounds of Samba music playing on her iPod.
"That's my freestyle," Sammy said. "I just move to the rhythm."
Sammy, 15, has done more than dance on the soccer field. She is the Cougars offensive rhythm. She helps create a fluid brand of soccer. It sometimes results into goals. Sammy leads San Ysidro, with 16 goals this season. She's scored in San Ysidro's last four matches, earning the praise of her teammates, her coach and other coaches in the South Bay League.
In a match against Castle Park two weeks ago, she scored five goals, just missing a double hat trick.
"I don't believe I am good," Sammy said. "I have a lot to learn. There is always a lot of room for improvement."
She has some time to enhance her skills. Sammy is a sophomore. But don't mistake her talents. She can make opponents think twice about her ball-handling skills and shooting accuracy. Most defenders might overlook her because of her petite build but her coach considers her one of the toughest players she's coached, both mentally and physically.
"You get players that can play but you don't always get someone with the will and inspiration that Sammy has," said Cougars second-year coach Kristina Hernandez. "She just inspires everyone on the field. She is completely dedicated to the game. You can't keep her away from it."
It is a task Sammy's mother, won't take on.
"On the contrary," the mother said. "I try to do everything I can to help her reach her goals. If it means selling my car to try and help pay for fees or save gas to take her to games, I will do it."
Sammy is hoping she gets to catch plenty of rides with her mom.
Sammy plays on a local club but it does not carry the prestigious name that most college scouts look for when peeking at a potential recruit.
Her goal is to someday play with the San Diego Surf, one of the best clubs on the West Coast. But playing for such a team is pricey. Sammy's mom, a single parent and machine operator for a sewing company, can't afford tuition.
Daily drives from South San Diego to Del Mar would cost a lot in gas. But if Sammy can make the team, mom would sell her full-size truck for a smaller, more fuel-efficient vehicle.
But before Sammy can have a shot at making it on a club, she needs exposure. Hernandez, the Cougars' coach, is trying to get the word out.
"It's my job to help her with that," Hernandez said. "She deserves it. She works too hard to not get that chance."
Sammy, who carries a 3.33 GPA, fell in love with soccer in elementary school. She played AYSO and for her middle school team. But she realized soccer was her passion after watching the 2006 World Cup on television.
That's where she fell in love with the antics and dribbling skills of Brazilian star Ronaldinho.
"He's awesome," Sammy said. "He's one of the best."
Sammy also wants to be one of the best. She hopes to play for the U.S. national team some day despite being born in Mexico. Her family migrated to Cudahy in South Los Angeles County when she was two. The family then moved to San Diego when Sammy was about six years old.
"Every time I hear the Star Spangled Banner' I get the chills just singing it," Sammy said. "This country has given us so much, I just want to give something back."
That includes playing college soccer. North Carolina would be ideal. Sammy wants to be a Tar Heel.
It could be a long shot to be part of a national soccer powerhouse but Sammy is not giving up.
Her mother plans to use her income tax refund to help pay for registration and airfare to a Tar Heels camp later this year. It's an opportunity for Sammy to be seen by scouts.
It is also a chance for Sammy to see the university where she would also study Kinesiology. She wants to be a physical therapist.
She can thank a knee injury for that. Sammy almost didn't make it on to San Ysidro's varsity squad her freshman year after a left-knee injury kept her off the field.
"I thought I wasn't going to be able to play anymore," Sammy said. "It's a terrible feeling. I didn't know where to go for help to get healthy. I got better but I don't want anyone to go through that. I want to be able to help people with their injuries. They have got to be able to play."
And to dance.
Dance the same way Sammy does with a ball on her feet.
Twist right. Twist left and another turn of the hips.
Ivan.orozco@sandiegored.com
