Throughout his soccer journey, goalkeeper Gabriel Hermosillo has always lived by one motto: “Keep working, keep learning,” he shared. “You learn from your mistakes and keep working, and you get better.” Now as a senior, he passes this advice on to younger players.
Hermosillo started his goalkeeping career as a six-year-old in the Ravenswood Youth Soccer Club, where he played for three seasons before joining the Stanford Strikers. There, he not only improved his goalkeeping skills, but also started gaining attention from other clubs. During his freshman year at M-A, Hermosillo accepted a scholarship from the Woodside Crush Soccer Club to play goalkeeper for one of their teams.
Soon, however, the time commitment of playing on two teams became overwhelming, so Hermosillo quit the club to focus on his high school soccer career. “I’d have to go to practice right after school and it would take up my whole weekend. I had no family time, and I didn’t really like that,” he explained.
Hermosillo’s favorite part about soccer is the friendships he built along the way. “The brotherhood was definitely what made me love soccer. It was my friends who connected me to it, we built a bond,” he said.
As one of the most stress inducing roles on the field, being a goalkeeper comes with its own set of challenges. Once the ball makes it close to his territory, it is up to Hermosillo to prevent a goal. However, he loves the intensity of being a goalkeeper. “I like the main character part of it,” he said.
“It’s definitely a mental thing, it’s all mental. You can make a mistake and it can cost you the game. There’s a lot of parts where you want to give up from all the hate you get,” he continued.
Through soccer, Hermosillo grew from his mistakes, learning the importance of working hard without giving up. Now as a senior, he has taken on a leadership role within his team. “As a senior you have to push the younger ones. My position is one where I have to speak a lot, and if I don’t speak up, it can cost us a goal,” Hermosillo said.
