It’s been almost a month, but FC Tucson Women’s season-ending draw against Phoenix’s SC Del Sol still haunts Laura Pimienta.
FC Tucson needed a win on July 9 to capture its second straight WPSL Desert Conference championships. Meredith Scott gave the club a 1-0 lead midway through the first half.
“We were up, our coach at halftime was like, ‘Alright, you’ve got to come out strong because they want this.’ First thing they do they score,” Pimienta recalled.
The teams played to a 1-1 draw, and FC Tucson Women finished its season third in the conference.
Pimienta earned an all-conference selection and was named FC Tucson’s Defensive Player of the Year for the second straight season, though she’s quick to point out individual goals don’t ultimately matter for her.
“I don’t have any personal goal,” Pimienta said. “Next year, I want to win the division again. I hope we can develop that team chemistry that we had two years ago.”
A family tradition
Pimienta started playing soccer when she was about 7 years old. Being from Mexico, the game was in her blood.
“My dad played in the team of his town,” Pimienta said. “When we were younger, my twin sister and I started playing with our older sister team. We are super competitive, we used to jump out in the backyard and play a couple of rounds anytime we could.”
Pimienta was named a two-time team team captain at Mountain View High School. The Star made her a first-team All-Southern Arizona selection as a senior.
Laura and Priscilla Pimienta are now the pillars of FC Tucson’s defense. They have been going at each other for her whole childhood, playing club softball and soccer. When it came to the point that they had to choose one or another, the choice could not have been easier.
“Soccer was more natural for us,” Laura Pimienta said.
‘Definitely not for the weak’
Pimienta didn’t know her career would have brought her this far, although it hasn’t always been easy.
“When I had to go to college, nobody offered me a scholarship,” Pimienta said. “I considered UNM, ASU and some private schools in California, but they were giving almost nothing. So I decided to stay in Tucson and go to the UofA. After a rough freshman year, I ended up proving my worth and my value in my sophomore year, starting all games and earning my scholarship.”
Back then, just a few UA scholarships were spread among a dozen or so. With hard work and a bit of luck, Pimienta earned one. From 2013-16, Pimienta was a two-time All-Pac-12 Academic selection and a regular member of the Wildcats’ starting squad.
“When I came in I played midfielder,” Pimienta recalled. “After my freshman year, the left back graduated. They tried me there, my coach taught me well and from there on I played every game, injuries permitting.”
She said college sports were challenging, but taught her lessons she still applies on a daily basis. She works in IT during the day in addition to her soccer obligations.
“It’s definitely not for the weak, but if you get through it, it builds character,” Pimienta said. “It teaches life lessons. I apply the same now in everyday life: I work hard and in the past two years I have been promoted twice. …
“Growing up I never really considered playing professionally, just because the money aspect wasn’t there. … If you get injured, then what? Now it is developing a little bit more, you see bigger contracts for top players. It’s nice to see that it’s going in the right direction.”
Soccer’s evolution
Pimienta followed European Cup on TV this summer, and she said she was favorably impressed by the level of the games.
“My idol was Mia Hamm,” she said. “It may sound cliche, but she was the face of women’s soccer. She changed the game. The level we are seeing nowadays in the European Cup, it all started with her.”
Pimienta is now looking forward to next season, looking to avenge a tough finale.
“It started going downhill when we were up 2-0 against Del Sol at home (on June 19) and with five minutes left in the game they tied it,” Pimienta explained. “That one was hard to swallow. We knew it was gonna come back and haunt us and it did. Now we have to go over what happened and look forward to next year. I’m excited to see what players the coach is gonna bring in and I can’t wait to see where we can go from there.”
