On a hot August afternoon in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, junior Arantxa Rosainz Caloca took the field for one of the biggest games of her life. In a bright red jersey with a small Mexican flag in the upper left corner, Caloca was ready to defend her country and play the game she loved so much.
After falling to the United States, 6-0 in the first game of the 2017 Pan American Cup, Team Mexico was on the brink of losing its qualification for the World Cup. Facing another strong team in Brazil, Mexico inched past the Brazilians for the 1-0 win to keep its World Cup dreams alive.
While team Mexico would fall to Canada and Uruguay later in the tournament to extinguish its World Cup hopes, this experience for playing for a national squad was an experience like no other for the Ball State forward.
Spending two seasons prior to Ball State at LIU Post and growing up in Guadalajara, Mexico, Caloca had to sacrifice a lot in the United States and back home in order to have the opportunity of a lifetime.
“It was hard because I had to be in another place that was not in my hometown,” Caloca said. “So that meant no classes and having to miss family reunions. It was 24/7 field hockey.”
Playing against some of the best teams in the world, Calcoa not only picked up skills for herself, but skills she can share with her Cardinal teammates.
“I think that now I’m more critical about the other teams after playing with team Mexico,” Caloca said. “I realize what’s going on before it happens, so I can tell my team what to do in that situation.”
Caloca’s experience prior to Ball State has shown to be beneficial to the team early in the season. With a strong sense mentally and physically on and off the field, she has been a key player for the Cardinals this season.
“She has always been a key playmaker,” head coach Stephanie Bernthal said. “She brings experience, maturity and has a confidence that is great for our team. She plays well with other people and looks to set teammates up as well. Those are all things she did with team Mexico.”
According to Bernthal, Caloca has already taken on a strong leadership role at Ball State. Her work ethic has shown, as she holds one of the highest shots on goal percentage with .857 percent of her shots hitting target.
“She is a really hard worker and is just a strong competitor,” Bernthal said. “She carries a lot of responsibility on the attacking side of the ball too. It’s nice that we got her at a point where she is really adjusted and she can carry more of a leadership role. “
Ball State Field Hockey is currently 0-7, meaning the underdog narrative will be consistent for the team for the remainder of the season. This is a situation Arantxa is familiar with. The 2017 Pan American Cup required her to play against team USA, Brazil, Canada and Uruguay. Mexico was able to gain one win, that being against Brazil.
“They were an underdog team against the other national teams they played,” Bernthal said . “She is so fearless. She would go toe-to-toe with some of the really strong teams that Pan American teams like Argentina, and she was the go-to.”
Contact Gavin Crafton with any comments at gncrafton@bsu.edu or on Twitter @GavinCrafton.
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