Clovis' Meza joins ENMU women's soccer

Samantha Meza knew the first time she stepped on a soccer pitch at 9 years old that it was the sport for her.

Nine years later, the Clovis senior sat at a table with teammates and family, assured in her choices.

Meza, Clovis’ career scoring leader and a captain for the 2015 squad that won the first district title in school history, is going 20 miles south to continue her favorite sport at Eastern New Mexico University.

Clovis coach Traci Sievers said Meza, who set school records with 70 goals and 93 assists, said Meza was the model player for the Wildcat program.

“She’s been an important part of the team, with her character and her academics,” Sievers said. “She was a team captain for us this year, and we really appreciate her leadership and her skills on the field.”

Meza said Miriam Morales, a two-year assistant and the wife of ENMU women’s coach Omar Morales, played a role in convincing her to take the challenge of college.

“She said it would be a good decision,” Meza said. “She went to West Texas, she had a great time and said it was the best decision she ever made.”

Meza was one of three players signed on Wednesday, the first day players could officially commit to college programs.

“Luckily for me, my wife coaches at Clovis,” Morales said, “so I kind of got the inside hand. She’s a goal scorer, she’s a savvy little player that we liked. She’s come to our camp most summers, and we thought she’d be a good pickup.”

The Greyhounds, who went 4-14-1 and 0-10 in the Lone Star Conference in Morales’ first season, also added Amarillo’s Rici Galean and St. Pius’ Naomi Abeyta and expect one Thursday commitment.

“I think we’ve got a healthy roster with a lot of young kids who got a lot of playing experience,” Morales said. “We’re going to look to that, and we’re still looking at juco transfers that could make an immediate impact.”

The 5-foot Meza knows she’ll have to work on her speed and ballhandling to have the same scoring chances at the next level, when factoring in what will be a clear size disadvantage in college.

“I just need to work on my skills overall,” Meza said. “I’ve been playing indoor a lot, just to make sure I’m keeping touch on the ball.”