Antonio Ruiz Vera is the goalie for the Armijo Royals Varsity Soccer team. “I have been playing goalie my whole life, since I was seven, and I have played three years here at Armijo,” he said. He has always been very competitive and that has made his experience on the Armijo team, as well as the others, even more thrilling.

For Ruiz, the most interesting thing about being a goalie is the amount of fun that it can be. “When you make a save, the crowd starts clapping and gets excited,” he said. “In order to join the team, you have to be good and try your best at everything you do, because goalie is one of the most important roles in soccer,” said Ruiz. He said that being a goalie can be quite a pain. His teammates expect him “to make saves and not let goals in,” he said.

Soccer isn’t his only hobby, though. He also likes to play video games and badminton.

After graduation in June, Ruiz plans to go to Napa Community College and play college soccer.