Vision The Key For Molina

Lindsey Molina receives a pass in the middle of the field, and unlike other high scorers, her first instinct is where to pass the ball. She isnt interested in wasting any time with fancy dribbling.
"What makes her valuable is that she has the vision of where the other players are on the field, without even seeing them," said the first year soccer coach of William Bryant, Peter Maliarakis. "She’s a distributor and she knows the game really well. Other girls can dribble and shoot, but she controls the game. Not everyone has the potential to do that."
However, Molina wasnt always the confident, outgoing, and vocal leader she is today. After a tremendous first season on the William Bryant soccer team, in which Molina scored 18 goals and dished out 8 assists, there was still a gaping hole in her game. She was a quiet kid, and was anything but a team leader.
The summer before her junior year, Molina attended Sports Challenge Leadership Alliance in Delaware, a two-week soccer clinic based on developing leadership skills on the field.
"They taught us how to work with our teammates, how to lead by example, how to handle situations in case of a conflict," said Molina. "I learned so much from that camp. It wasnt only soccer, but there were classes where we talked about being a leader. It helped me come out of my shell."
That experience made Molina more vocal, and she is now in the midst of her second year as a captain on the team.
"On the field I noticed her leadership qualities right away," said Maliarakis. "Shes a good role model for the younger girls. She has a very good work ethic. Shes persistent, relentless, and always comes to practice. Shes always on time, and she pushes the younger girls during practice. Ive never had a complaint from her."
It would be one thing to become more vocal and to be one of the more talented girls on the team, but Molina is a true leader.
After scoring 22 goals her junior year as a forward, Maliarakis immediately noticed the natural passing ability of Molina, and with the abundance of strikers on the team, wanted to move Molina to center midfield, a position that controls the game. Instead of complaining about a new coach trying to short circuit her goal-scoring attempts, Molina happily went to midfield, where she has already racked up five assists in the early season.
Having played for the Auburndale soccer club for the past few seasons, Molina was used to different roles and didnt mind the change.
"A lot of girls want to play certain positions, but Ive learned to play everywhere," said Molina. "Coach will come up to me in practice and tell me We have a game tomorrow and youre playing defense. I dont care, as long as we get the job done. Ill play wherever he needs me."
Thats the beauty of Molinaan unselfishness to match her superior skills. Despite an ability to dribble around or through defenders, Molina will rarely keep the ball in possession for more than a few seconds. She is just as happy to pass off to a teammate and sprint down the field. At the high school level, other girls can dribble or score like Molina, but her willingness and skill in sharing the ball is what separates her from the pack.