“I started playing when I was three years old — ever since then I’ve always had a ball at my feet,” freshman Annie Rocha said.
With a total of 34 shots and six goals scored this season, Rocha has made a statement on the women’s soccer team. As a forward, Rocha has managed to play for a total of 358 minutes, nearly 6 hours, on the field, earning her a spot on the starting roster.
“Annie has an insatiable appetite for scoring goals and she has a scorer’s mentality of not worrying about misses,” head coach Nick Cowell said. “She plays hard all the time. She has an understanding of the elite mentality of a top player. You have to train at full intensity in order to play well in pressure situations.”
Rocha’s father played a pivotal role in her development, attending every game, recording all her goals and constantly pushing her to be the best version of herself. His unwavering support laid the foundation for her journey, nurturing a competitive spirit and dedication that would become her trademark.
“He was always pushing me to be the best I can,” Rocha said. “Making sure I always knew he was in my corner.”
However, her path to collegiate athletics hasn’t been without its challenges. A devastating injury in high school led Rocha to uncertainty in her future in soccer.
“I ended up tearing my ACL junior year when I was doing the college recruitment process, so I didn’t know if I was going to play because it would take me a year to recover and get back,” Rocha said. “It is so much more physically demanding to play at that level, and (is) mentally draining as well.”
That’s when St. Edward’s reached out, offering a spot on the team. Their faith in her potential helped reignite her dream of playing college soccer, and she made the decision to commit to the program. However, once on campus, Rocha had a couple of adjustments to make.
“It took me at least two weeks to adapt to the speed and style of play here,” Rocha said. “Every girl is the best of their teams back home, so it takes a lot to get used to that at first, but once you find a rhythm with the team, you make it better.”
The physical and mental demands of college soccer have been taxing, almost like a full-time job, she says. Balancing the rigors of training and matches with her academic responsibilities as a computer science major requires careful organization.
“I’ve been staying organized and have tried finding time to forget about soccer and really just focus on school. If it was really up to me, I would love to just play soccer,” Rocha said. “But I am here for a reason, and that’s to get my degree. Playing soccer is just the fun part of it.”
As a forward, her primary goal is clear: score goals and contribute to the team’s success.
“My mentality is playing the best I can,” Rocha said “Working the hardest for my teammates because we all work so hard. We all just deserve to play the best we can and try to win as many games. As a forward, I just try to do my job, which is score goals. So as long as everyone is doing their job, we can all come out on top.”
As a freshman starter, her progress has exceeded even her own expectations. Only seven games into the season, and she has managed to make 10 shots on goal.
“I honestly didn’t think I would be playing this much right now,” Rocha said
Her immediate goal is consistency — avoiding the peaks and valleys that can plague a season. With even more games ahead now that conference has started, she looks forward to the potential she can unlock.
“I don’t want to go from scoring four goals to then not scoring any the rest of the season,” Rocha said. “It’s just staying consistent. Showing up every day and just getting better every single day.”
For now, she’s focused on the present, working hard and scoring goals. While soccer remains her passion, she never loses sight of the bigger picture: using this opportunity to earn her degree and prepare for whatever comes next.
