Senior defender Damian Salinas has seen what it takes to succeed at a high level. As a sophomore, Salinas was the youngest starting defender on a Rochelle Township High School varsity soccer team that not only set a program record in wins, but earned a conference championship and a regional title while reaching the sectional finals for the first time ever.

While the Hubs enjoyed another winning season this past year, finishing 13-8 overall, Salinas and his teammates fell short of their postseason expectations. Now gearing up for his fourth and final varsity season, Salinas understands the stakes and is determined to give everything he has in order for the Rochelle team to make one more historic run next spring.

“Knowing that this coming season will be my last year, it motivates me to make the season count,” Salinas said. “My junior year wasn’t what I expected it to be, and I was hoping to be better after the experience I gained during my sophomore year. But I tried my best to help the team and I left everything on the field. I thought I communicated well with my teammates and did the best I could on defense, but I know I can improve my decision making.”

Salinas will be a critical component of the Rochelle varsity team’s success this coming season, playing the sweeper position in the team’s diamond defensive alignment. Often the final line of defense before an opposing squad reaches the goalkeeper, Salinas helped captain a Hub defense to 10 shutouts in 2019, and his efforts as a sophomore back spearheaded a defensive unit that surrendered only 13 goals through Rochelle’s record-setting 2018 campaign.

“I thought we did everything we could to be a good team last year,” Salinas said. “We could have done better to advance in the postseason instead of being knocked out in the regional, but it just didn’t happen. My expectations for next season are to go much further in the postseason and to really make next season count… It’s never a good feeling to lose, but we always push each other to keep playing until we hear the whistle, no matter the circumstances.”