Catalina Perez World Cup Diary Part III
MONCTON, N.B. – University of Miami goalkeeper Catalina Perez is a member of Colombia’s team at the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup and is writing a multi-part diary to HurricaneSports.com during her experience in Canada.
Additionally, Perez is providing pictures for a gallery that will be updated throughout her time at the World Cup.
Friday, in part three of her diary, Perez looks back on the team’s first match of the World Cup, a 1-1 draw against Mexico, in which Colombia tied the score in the 82nd minute . . .
Tuesday was the day I had been waiting for a very long time. I feel there are so many things going on that you live the day as best as you can, but then when you analyze it later, you really grasp or take in all that has just happened.
Moncton is not a very big town and there are not many inhabitants, however the stadium was almost full. It was awesome to see because it shows women’s soccer is growing around the world. It is exciting and impacting many people. This makes me very excited about the future of women’s soccer and the opportunities that lie ahead for this generation and the ones to come.
When I saw the little children in the stadium who look up to us, I felt that what we do has value beyond the sport. By doing what we love with respect, the correct attitude, and work ethic, we can set an example. To us, coming from Colombia, where it was a bit looked down upon to be a female soccer player not long ago, it means so much.
We all knew it was a very important match for us, but leading up to the game we stuck to our pregame routines. In the locker room we sing, we dance, we joke, yet we are focused. For a lot of the team members, this is their second World Cup. They know what to expect and they are calmer. It was special because I felt their attitude spread to the whole team and that helped greatly.
When our anthem started playing, I immediately got the chills, as always. Standing there with my teammates, seeing all the FIFA World Cup signs, and turning back and seeing my family in the stands filled my heart with joy and excitement that I will use to fuel me for years to come. The thought that I was bringing excitement and joy to my family members’ lives was breathtaking. They know what this all means to me and I know how happy it makes them that I am living one of my dreams.
I feel that when you watch a World Cup as a young child, you dream about being there one day, but it doesn’t feel all that feasible. Hearing the initial whistle, feeling the moment vividly, I felt a rush of positive emotions. I hope I can show people that it is feasible if you prepare, believe, and persists. If you follow your dreams and do these things, it makes your day-to-day life more meaningful and enjoyable. When you reach a goal, it is very fulfilling and gives you energy to keep going. If you don’t quite reach it, you are most likely in a lot better place than when you started and you have the peace of mind that you gave it your all.
At halftime, we were a goal down. Needlessly to say, we were not in a very good spot, but there was still plenty of soccer to be played. I am very happy and proud of the team’s resilience and effort level in the second half. We came together and were able to play better than the first half. This produced the most exciting moment we have lived in a Women’s World Cup: Colombia’s first goal!
Our assistant coach has always talked to us about playing level-headed, but with character, and I feel that is exactly what my teammate, Daniela Montoya, did when she scored the upper-90 shot with eight minutes remaining, which gave joy to our team and our country. Being part of that moment was surreal! Our goal is to make history and that was exactly what we were beginning to do. It gave us all a boost of energy and belief that we can accomplish our goals together!
When we analyzed the game with the assistant coach afterward, he highlighted on our attitude and the joy we brought to the game and how these things led us to reach a favorable result. This was very special because as an athlete, all you can control is your preparation, your attitude/ mentality, and your effort level, not the outcome. But to here he was, proud of us for controlling the controllable and reaching a positive outcome because of it was very rewarding for all of us.
