Just before Isabel Duenez entered her senior year of high school, the COVID-19 pandemic came in and shook up the world. The transition from junior to senior year is usually an important time for a student-athlete because that’s when the recruiting process is at its peak.
The coronavirus interrupted the process for Duenez. She lost touch with coaches for many months, and that put her in a slump. Although, she stayed determined, worked hard and is now signed to play at Hill College in Hillsboro.
“It just made me have to work harder and deal with the circumstances I was put in,” Duenez said. “COVID hit right in the middle of that recruiting process and trying to find a college. I lost contact with all these coaches for months, so I kind of lost motivation for a while, but I got it back.”
When Duenez was younger, her parents put her in a variety of activities, as most parents do. She tried out sports such as karate and basketball, but no other sport stood out to her as much as soccer did. Her parents noticed that she was good at it and she continued to play. Duenez joined club soccer when she was 11 years old and has played every year since. She joined the San Antonio City Soccer Club as a freshman and played for them through her senior year.
The senior was a four-year starter for San Marcos and improved each year throughout her high school career. As a junior, she was selected to be a captain. She was nervous to take on this role at first, but she found her way and learned from the senior captains that year.
“I’ve learned a lot from it, honestly,” Duenez said. “At first, I was going in there kind of nervous about it because I’m not like the loudest person, but I’ll talk and stuff. Going into being a captain as a junior was, you know, a learning experience. When I was a junior we had two other senior captains with me and I was kind of under their wing, just seeing what they’re doing and how they do it. My senior year I finally got to drive the boat and kind of run things and you know, just help everyone out.”
Duenez was one of the few four-year starters for head coach Jason Carnley. He’s seen her transformation from freshman to senior year. She always pushed to get better and evolved into a leader of the team.
“Duenez has done an extraordinary job here at the program, not only as an athlete, but also as a captain and a leader,” Carnley said. “She’s just one of those kids that works super hard, wants to get out here on a daily basis and just has a little fire under her that really pushes her to want to get better. And whenever she’s getting better, her teammates are getting better and that’s something that really ignited the program.”
Duenez played just about every position on the field and Carnley said that it was hard to find her a spot at first because of her wide skill set. Eventually, they found her a spot that made the most sense for the team. She became a key component in the passing game and her job was to help her teammates score goals. She ended her high school career with 37 assists, only two shy of the school record, and 11 goals. Duenez was also named to the All-District 26-6A First Team as a senior.
Throughout her senior year, Duenez looked at schools at the various college levels and stayed open to anything. She started considering the junior college route because she’s unsure of what she wants to study in college, but there are still good soccer programs at that level. One weekend she visited Hill College and she decided to commit there. It was a tough process altogether, but Duenez thought it was a great decision for herself.
“I was open to anything, honestly,” Duenez said. “I was looking at a bunch of universities, like Division II and Division III schools, and I’m unsure of what I want to major in, so I was just very open. I was really considering the junior college route because I could get my basics and everything. I’d be playing at a top school where, you know, girls get recruited out to Division I and Division II schools, and I just felt like that was a great fit for me.”
Duenez will miss the Lady Rattlers, but she’s thrilled to be able to play at the next level, compete against talented schools and experience a whole new life.
“I’m so excited to go play, I couldn’t imagine just ending my career in high school,” Duenez said. “I’m excited about competing against top teams, going somewhere new, playing soccer at the next level and just seeing different talent from everywhere.”
