Playing both varsity soccer and track since her freshman year and serving as captain for both sports, Diamond Bar High School senior Sam Blazek has held down one of the most important positions on the Brahma soccer team for the past three years—goalie.

“I’ve been told by a lot of my coaches that goalie is most important because they have to be the best player on the team,” Blazek said. “They have to use both their feet and their hands and able to see the dynamic of the game.”

At the age of four, Blazek started playing soccer after watching her older brother and friends play at AYSO. Though she participated in  a variety of sports, Blazek discovered her passion in soccer and wanted to play more than just the games that AYSO offered; she  began playing club soccer when she moved to California during middle school.

Straying from the traditional route of sticking to one club team, Blazek has played for various teams. She joined her first private club during eighth grade and has been playing ever since.

“It was a complete different game, and it was really intriguing. I wanted to learn more and get better, so I kept going to where I am today,” Blazek said.

She had the opportunity to meet U.S. Women’s Team member and DBHS alumna Alex Morgan when the soccer star visited the school in 2012. Morgan became her inspiration, as Blazek found it interesting that both she and Morgan came from Diamond Bar, yet Morgan was incredibly successful.

Blazek became increasingly interested in soccer after reading about the U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team.

Over the years, Blazek has received numerous awards such as all-league honorable mention, second team all league and most saves in the Palomares League.  

“Sam is a great leader by not only her words of encouragement to her teammates but also on the field and at trainings with her hard work. I believe we have two of the best goalies in the area with her and junior Alexis Nguyen. The best part about Sam is she supports our other goalie as well and doesn’t mind splitting time with Alexis, which is rare for a lot of goalies,” head coach Matt Franco said via email.

Although Blazek has accumulated 257 saves over the past four years, according to MaxPreps.com, she still feels the pressure of being the team’s main defender.

“You’re the last line of defense. There’s a lot of pressure, and you have to be able to control your team and tell them where the best place to go to keep the attack strong,” Blazek said.

Despite her success over the last two seasons, Blazek hasn’t always been the one on the field helping the team, as she spent majority of her freshman year on the bench. However, she wanted to improve, since the more experienced players were the ones who earned the chance to play. During the off-seasons, she gained more game experience by playing in club and focusing on her weaknesses.

“I wanted to keep seeing improvement in my game and keep challenging myself. It was a mental challenge in making myself wanting to get stronger and finding different ways to get better,” Blazek said.

Blazek has committed to York University in Nebraska to continue playing soccer.

“It’s a small school, but it’s still a big team. I’m fortunate in that women’s soccer is pretty competitive no matter what division,” Blazek said.

Aside from soccer, Blazek is also involved with the DB track and field team in shot put and discus, serving in a leadership role for the team. Blazek has played on the varsity team for the past four years, and has even competed in CIF Preliminaries during her junior year. Last season, Blazek won league for discus and also placed second for shot put.

Despite excelling at field, soccer is and will be her number one passion.

“Soccer differs from most other sports because of my teammates,” she said. “You know that your team is your family. They always have your back, and you always have their back.”