Senior Samuele Marquez has been a star on the field playing soccer since he was three years old. 

He was inspired by his dad and brother to play soccer because they both grew up playing the sport. “My dad, he grew up in Mexico, so it’s a pretty big sport,” Marquez said. “My brother, he went to La Salle, played soccer here, played for the same team, same club, same coach.”

Marquez works hard as an athlete and strives to be a great teammate on the field. He believes that a good team consists of a lot of commitment from the players and good chemistry within the team itself. 

“I think that the communication that you have with your teammates, the chemistry, and the willingness to be able to give constructive criticism … [are the main parts] of a good team,” he said.

Not only does Marquez play soccer for La Salle, but he also plays for Portland City United, a club team known as PCU. He has won two state titles, one with each team.

Marquez has accomplished a lot through his journey as a soccer player. “My biggest achievement, though, is definitely going to Nationals,” he said. Marquez reached this feat with his club team, something that he feels is an achievement in itself.

He especially appreciates the team environment that comes with soccer. “Just being able to be a part of such a family that has known each other for such a long time, I think that’s probably the biggest accomplishment,” Marquez said. 

Although Marquez has won many games in his soccer career, he has also learned the importance of losing. 

“If you win in life constantly, you’re always going to be on this high, and as soon as you lose you’re like, ‘oh shoot, what do I do?’” he said. 

Aside from soccer, Marquez also enjoys a variety of other activities in his free time. “There’s also side-sports I do like snowboarding and wakeboarding,” Marquez said. “Golf is definitely a side hobby. I’ve been playing golf since I was three as well, just hitting the ball anytime I could.”

Before soccer games, Marquez and his teammates go into the locker room to do their pregame ritual. 

“Every home game, like four minutes before the kickoff starts, we go into the locker room and we do what’s called our haka,” he said. “Our captain, [senior Seamus Gwyn], he says [the haka] normally, we repeat it, he whispers it, and then he yells it and everyone gets pumped up.”

Reflecting back on his favorite sports memory, Marquez talks about his time at regionals with his brother that he will always hold dear. 

“We won regionals, and I came out the last couple minutes so that we could just put everything we had on the field,” Marquez said. “I ran out to all my friends and then I turned around and I saw my brother running towards me. We just had the biggest hug. It was such a good moment because we had both never experienced such a [big accomplishment].”