Moreno molds legacy

California forward Grace Leer was on a breakaway, but her final obstacle awaited—Nevada’s senior goalkeeper Dana Moreno. Leer faked and Moreno countered by not taking the bait, dropping to her knees. Leer fired away and Moreno made a diving save. Moreno’s fundamentals have caught the interest of the Mexican National Team.

Against Texas Christian University in a 1-0 Nevada victory, a Mexican scout observed Moreno fight for loose balls, while communicating expressively with her teammates. After the game, he introduced himself to Moreno and the coaching staff and invited Moreno for a tryout in November to be part of “El Tri.”

“I am so excited because this has literally been my dream to play for Mexico,” Moreno said. “All of my hard work is paying off and maybe I will be playing in the World Cup in two years.”

Moreno and many other women face a dilemma playing professional soccer. The Women’s Professional Soccer league suspended its 2012 season, then shut down entirely in May. It left many USA National Team players, including Abby Wambach and captain Christine Rampone, without a club, according to Yahoo Sports.

Now, most of the league’s former players face a tough choice: move to Europe to play elite soccer for as little as $20,000 a season or settle for an even lower-paying gig on a minor or semi-pro team closer to home. Having a spot on the U.S. National Team can earn them a salary of up to $60,000, according to ESPN The Magazine.

But for Moreno, the uncertainty doesn’t matter because her passion for soccer is enormous.

“For me it’s the lifestyle and passion of the game that I developed as a child and I used it to escape family and social life issues and focused on it solely,”

Moreno said. “From then on, you just stick with it because it’s one of those things you can’t let go and it’s the most beautiful sport in the world, but it can take you places in life like job offers and stuff because it’s challenging.”

Since as long as Moreno can remember, she has had a passion to compete. With a 30-minute break for recess on its way, the children smiled and eagerly looked at the clock awaiting their most exciting part of the day. The bell finally rang and the kids ran outside the classroom looking to have fun with their friends. Girls often played with barbies and boys played some kind of competitive game. Young Moreno wearing pants instead of skirts as the other girls did, went straight to the kickball field to choose her team and compete.

That was what she was looking forward to the entire day.

“This is where my competitive spirit really started and I always got to pick teams at recess and I was the best at kickball,” Moreno said.

“This was before I started playing soccer but this is what also sparked my interest in soccer.” She was born on August 6, 1991 in Chatsworth, Calif. Dana is the daughter of Edward and Carly Moreno and has a younger sister named Danielle Marie Moreno.

Moreno’s parents were divorced when she was a year old and her dad took custody, raising both daughters as a single parent. While he worked, Elsie Moreno, her grandmother, took care of her granddaughters, creating a mother-like presence for these two young girls. Young Moreno and her sister chased each other when they smelled something delicious in the kitchen. As soon as they saw their nana smile and hold two cups of hot chocolate, they knew it was time to go to bed but eagerly jumped up and down waiting to relish the chocolate.

While Moreno enjoyed her chocolate, she cherished her time alongside her grandma even more. They would cuddle and laugh, making many priceless moments.

“Everything I do in life—it is solely because of my nana,” Moreno said. “That is where my drive comes from.”

During this past summer, Moreno tattooed Elise’s name on her arm to represent that she is always by her side. It enraged her father because he thought women looked trashy with visible tattoos. He did not talk to her for an entire month but has come to terms with what it symbolizes. Moreno said it felt awful not communicating with her father for that extensive amount of time. It has taught her to appreciate all he has done for her.

Moreno began playing soccer at 7-years-old. Moreno began as a forward, but when she turned 9, she made the switch to goalkeeper, which was the correct choice according to her father because of her great ability to use her hands and fast reactions to block shots.

While growing up she always got praise from her coaches. Moreno said her father always gave her tough love because of the “machismo” attitude that comes along with being Mexican and soccer being a huge deal in Mexican culture.

One memory that stands out is when she messed up bad in a game and her father yelled at her during the game as a spectator. The disruption got him ejected from the stands. Now she understands why he was so hard on her. Soccer was her ticket to success and her dad saw it long before it happened.

“I was always tough on her because I wanted her to be the best and in order to be the best you have to play the best,” Edward said. According to her father, his daughter has always had a competitive spirit and a gift for being a leader by example, which has translated into the success she has had in her career.

“She is one of the most athletic kids I have seen in her age. When she puts her mind to something she gets it done, which is why I am very proud of her and her number one fan,” Edward said.

Her nonexistent relationship with her mother has inspired her to strive for greatness. She sees failure as her biggest fear. Choosing Nevada Six other universities recruited Moreno— Santa Clara  University, Long Beach State, Washington State, Washington, San Diego State and Notre Dame.

Her successful high school career made these programs want her. She started at goalkeeper on the 2006 Gothia Junior World Cup championship team in Sweden and the 2009 Cal South National Championship team with Chatsworth Senior High School in Chatsworth, Calif. Furthermore, she was a member of the Olympic Development Program state team from 2004-2007.

“ODP is really big in club soccer and usually that is what gets you to college and gets a lot of scouts to watch you play and get your name out there,” Moreno said.