Senior Nikki Penaflor is a team captain and a starting center midfielder for the Girls Varsity Soccer Team. She’s constantly making tackles, distributing the ball, and leading her team through the middle. 

   Penaflor has been playing soccer since she was three years old, and has been on varsity since her freshman year, and she has never ceased working hard. “We have practices everyday and have games two to three days a week. Each time I get on the field it is a chance to get better,” said Penaflor. Senior Co-captain Jada Karber shared that Penaflor’s initiative does not go unnoticed. Karber said, “Nikki has improved so much since we started playing together. She is very dedicated to improving and always puts 110 percent effort into every practice and every game.” 

   Penaflor is one of four team captains, in a large part because she has been on varsity from the moment she first showed up. She has been able to form a relationship with each and every one of her teammates over the years. Penaflor stated, “I have been playing for this team since I was a freshman and I have built a really strong bond with the girls on the team and the coaches. I just know that we all have each other’s backs. That alone is an advantage that our team has over others.”  

   Another way Penaflor helps her team excel is due to her ability to positively affect her teammates during the game. Penaflor’s teammates feel as if just having Penaflor on the field affects their pace of play. Junior Malia Totoris stated, “Nikki makes a really big impact on the field, our whole tempo changes and picks up when she enters the play. It’s hard to miss how much she influences our play.”

   Penaflor is seen as someone to look up to and constantly learn from. Totoris said, “I have been watching Nikki play since I was a freshman and now she is my captain. I really look up to her knowing that next year I’ll be a senior and it’ll be my turn to step up. Watching her advance over the years helped me realize where I want to be by my senior year.”

   Penaflor has very high hopes for the rest of this year’s season. She said, “This season has been going great so far. We still have a long rest of the season ahead of us but we’ve got a really strong team this year, and I look forward to seeing what is next for us.” 

   As of right now, she has no set plans to continue her soccer career after high school, which makes her senior season all that more important. Penaflor said, “It’s definitely sad because I’ve been playing soccer my entire life and it’s my last year, but I’m just glad to be playing for this team and look forward to making this a great last season.”