Izabella Olivio’s journey to becoming one of the top players for the Huston-Tillotson Rams is unique in that soccer wasn’t the first sport she played growing up.
In fact, Olivio played more games on the softball field than on the pitch.
“It was very new being someone that never really played soccer growing up,” Olivio said. “My sport was softball and coming into soccer, it was very new. It was something that I had to learn as well. It felt to me more like I was catching up, so I was trying to learn things that girls already knew at a young age and that were instilled in them.”
But despite getting into soccer later in life, Olivio has excelled, being named to the HBCU Athletic Conference Preseason All-Conference team as one of five Rams players honored.
Though Olivio was surprised to be named, the senior was also honored and happy to see not only her teammates join her on the All-Conference team but also the program heading in the right direction.
“I was actually really shocked. Everyone kept saying congratulations and I was just confused,” Olivio said. “I saw the award that was given, and to be recognized like that means a lot to me. It shows that my hard work is being seen. It also means a lot to me to know that my team can see that as well.
“We’re all working toward the same goal, and the girls I’ve been playing with for four years, we’ve been doing really well. We’ve been fighting tooth and nail for these harder games, and for them to see there are multiple girls on my team that were in the All-Conference just shows that we really are heading in the right path, especially for a new conference.”
Olivio graduated from San Marcos High School in 2021, where she be- came a star player for the Rattlers soccer team.
When Olivio made the transition from high school to college, it was both a challenging and satisfying journey.
“My experience in college ball was very tough but very rewarding,” Olivio said. “Of course, my first year was shocking to me, understanding the higher intensity of what they expect from you no matter the level of college you’re going to. Whether that be a JuCo, NAIA, D1 or D2, it’s still 10 times higher what they request from you regardless. So I had to get on a different pedestal of understanding that it’s not high school ball. Once I did that, it was a great experience.”
Olivio gave props to her high school coach, who not only fast-tracked her progression on the soccer field but also gave her the key to success that propelled her college soccer career.
“I give all that credit to my coach back then, Jason Carnley,” Olivio said. “He allowed me to make those mistakes and knew I wasn’t used to the sport. He was a very great coach who helped me learn the basics when in high school you’re supposed to just be able to coach the game, not teach girls how to do it. All props to him because he really showed me that you can start anywhere and do really well if you just give 110%, and I always took that with me.”
Though Olivio admitted to not being the most skilled player, she makes up for it by being the most aggressive player on the field and establishing her presence while continuing to give everything.
“I always make sure that, yes, I am the smallest. I’m not the biggest girl—I’m very little—but if you just give 110%, you knock them around and show them that you’re not scared, then you will be known,” Olivio said. “They will know that you are there, and that is exactly what I took with me to Huston-Tillotson. I’m not a techie and don’t have those basics of very good ball skill, but I am very aggressive. I’m very fast, and I make my presence known when I played with these older girls.
“That is something that I 100% took from high school—don’t be afraid, show them you’re there, and always give 110%. I’ve always done that when I played my games, whether in my freshman year when I played only maybe 10 minutes of a game till now where I’m a starter. I’m working my hardest regardless of the times I play or if I’m injured— whatever—I’m always playing 110%.”
As Huston-Tillotson begins its first year in the HBCU Athletic Conference, Olivio believes the Rams can make the push to take the conference title by continuing to be the aggressors and outworking the other team.
“Our team has what it takes and we have the grit,” Olivio said. “I always believe in the underdogs. Like I said, I am little and small, but if you give 110% you just keep fighting and fighting, you show your presence will be there.
“I feel like we have the team that’s going to be in there with these higher teams that are more technical and they have better speed than us. But if we are aggressive and we just keep fighting and pushing, encouraging each other, then we can 100% go far and bring back the championship.”
As she prepares to wrap her college athletic career and graduate with a degree in psychology with a minor in forensics, Olivio gives credit to her number one supporters.
“My parents give me everything,” Olivio said. “They’re my very first people that I would give my life for, and they are my number one supporters. They were always supportive of everything—the injuries, the time, the practices. So for me to be able to graduate college, it really is for them. Yes, it’s for me, but it really is for my parents because they have given me everything. They still do to this day, so to be able to say I am a first generation, especially the first collegiate athlete, it just means so much more to know that all their hard work and all the sacrifices paid off.”
