Sophomore Mariah Trevino and the Milwaukee School of Engineering women’s soccer program will kick off the 2020 campaign in March.

The NCAA Division-III Raiders were supposed to compete this past fall but the season was delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

“The plan for the spring involves a lot of COVID testing to ensure the safety of players,” said Trevino, a 2019 Ceres High School grad. “I hope it’s not cancelled. I’ve been playing soccer since I was 6 years old and still love the game.”

Trevino contributed as a true freshman at Milwaukee School of Engineering (MSOE).

She started at left defender.

Trevino collected two goals and two assists.

“It was a lot of hard work trying to prove myself,” she said.

The Raiders amassed a 12-7-2 overall record and finished in fourth place in the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference (NACC) standings (8-3-1).

Fourth-seeded MSOE lost 1-0 to top-seeded Dominican in the semifinals of the NACC Tournament on Nov. 6.

“This spring, I hope to play just as good as last season, and if possible, better,” Trevino said. “I really want to strive to help my teammates in whatever way possible on and off the field.”

Trevino and MSOE will resume practicing on Jan. 18.  They’ll train on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays.

“My teammates and I wear our masks when we are not six feet apart,” she said. “We practice outside rather than indoors. We are also split into two groups, so if there was a case of COVID on the team, we would know who was around that person and be tested.”

Trevino’s major is electrical engineering.

“Being a student-athlete at the college level is a lot of work,” she said. “At MSOE, you always have labs or homework due. Soccer helps me to keep perfecting my time management skills.” 

The 2020-21 academic year started on Sept. 8 with hybrid learning.

“The school is being safe,” Trevino said.