SPRINGDALE -- Blanca Barroso wasn't thrilled when her big sister put her through a tough soccer workout as a freshman in high school.
She had no desire to play school soccer at Springdale High.
At A Glance
Blanca Barroso
School: Springdale High
Class: Senior
Position: Defender
Notable: Has four goals and four assists this season. … Had four goals as a junior. … One of five Springdale seniors. … Taking three AP classes this year. … Will attend Northwest Arkansas Community College, where she will work toward a business management degree.
"I didn't even like soccer," Barroso said. "I just always thought it was a man's sport."
But Barbara Barroso, three years older and a member of the Springdale varsity team, didn't give her little sister much choice.
"She was like, 'Just go try out,'" Blanca said. "And I was like, 'No, I don't like it. What's the point of me going to try out?' And she was like, 'Just go try out. Just go try out.'"
Blanca finally gave in. She ended up trying out, but not before Barbara prepped her with the mini training camp.
Big sister's persistence paid off. For Blanca and for Springdale.
Barroso made the freshman team and played for then-freshman coach David McKellips. McKellips was an assistant coach when Barroso started on varsity as a sophomore and junior, then was promoted to head coach this year.
He's seen Barroso progress from an athletic-but-inexperienced freshman who didn't know if she wanted to play to a key contributor as a senior defender.
"It's a fantastic experience as a coach to see how much she's grown," McKellips said. "She's an amazing young lady. Fun to watch. She's really fast. There's not too many girls in the state of Arkansas that can keep up with her. And she's gotten very smart. At first she was a little raw. She needed experience. She gained some experience.
"And she's like a coach's dream. She's an athlete wanting to learn. She's soaked in everything you taught her and just puts it to work."
Barroso displayed her intelligence -- her high school schedule has been full of AP classes -- by picking up the nuances of the game quickly and being a sharp student of game film. And her speed and quickness make her a valuable defender on the back line for the Lady Bulldogs.
"She can help all the other players on the back line," McKellips said. "If somebody loses their mark or gets behind, she has the ability to cut them off. It takes a lot of pressure off our goalie when she can do that."
She's also shown a knack for sliding up and contributing offensively. She has four goals and four assists this year, while she also scored four goals last year, including a hat trick in one match.
"As I got more experience, then I started going upfield," Barroso said.
Springdale is in the midst of one of its most successful seasons in recent history, a thought not lost on Barroso and the Lady Bulldogs' other four seniors as they push toward qualifying for a state berth.
"I'd probably cry, honestly," Barroso said of making state. "I mean, being a senior and just getting the opportunity to play in state, that'd be a big opportunity for us. It'd be a big experience."
She can appreciate her sister's insistence that she play soccer years later as her high school career winds down. Now she's taken on the roll of big sister.
"When I don't work, I practice with my little brothers and my sister," Barroso said. "Sometimes we go to the park. I try to encourage them as much as I can so they can keep playing."
Sports on 04/20/2014