Future Lobo Gabriella Montoya bides time, becomes soccer star
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (BVM) — Many NCAA Division I soccer players were stars for all four years of their high school career. University of New Mexico commit Gabriella Montoya had to bide her time.
As a sophomore transfer from Valley High School, Montoya spent her first year at Volcano Vista on the junior varsity team.
“It was very frustrating,” Montoya said. “I would finish my JV game and go to varsity just to watch and there’s just such a difference between JV and varsity. But I knew that within a year I’d be playing varsity, so I just needed to stick it out and keep going no matter how frustrating it was at times.”
Montoya entered high school with Division I college aspirations, but her parents realized that she would need a bigger challenge than that which she was getting at Valley, so the future Lobo transferred to Volcano Vista where she would face a higher level of competition. And the 5-foot-2 defender was up for the bigger challenge.
“She just wanted it,” Volcano Vista head coach Samantha Lucero said. “She was a very dedicated player. That sophomore year I just saw her work so hard, knowing that she should’ve been on varsity, but she stuck with it… You could tell she was hungry.”
By the time her career with the Hawks was over, Montoya had become the team’s leader and an all-around star. As a senior, Montoya led Volcano Vista to a 19-2 record and the 2019 Class 5A state title. While she anchored a defense that allowed just six goals in 21 games, she also proved to be a dangerous weapon on offense, recording seven goals and seven assists.
“She was very diverse,” Lucero said. “She could play any position you put her at. She was a playmaker, but she was also one of the best defenders I’ve seen throughout my coaching career.”
Montoya, the Gatorade New Mexico Girls Soccer Player of the Year, didn’t land a scholarship with New Mexico until her senior season was over. She verbally committed to Division II Fort Lewis College at the end of her junior year, but she gained the attention of Lobos head coach Heather Dyche during Volcano Vista’s championship run.
“She didn’t know if I was committed or not,” Montoya said, “and I made the decision that I really didn’t feel like I wanted to pursue Division II. It wasn’t at my level and I wasn’t going to be happy there, so I decommitted the day after we won state… Heather called me three days later and I committed to playing Division I soccer.”
Montoya will have to earn her spot with the UNM just as she did with Volcano Vista. But once she does, she could make a major impact for the Lobos.
“She could play a huge role anywhere,” Lucero said. “That’s the type of player she can be. She’s dedicated and she’s willing to learn. As a coach, you want that type of player on your team and I think that she can be put anywhere and learn and just be a star.”
