Melanie Saldaña (#4) and Aleythia Gutierrez (#11) have brought their combined years of experience to the TSC Scorpions Women’s team as both players and mentors. Photo by: Esteban del Angel.
In team sports, critical aspects go into making a well-rounded team, such as skill and conditioning. Camaraderie also plays a vital role in how a team functions. For the Texas Southmost College Scorpions women’s team players Melanie Saldaña and Aleythia Gutierrez, this past season has been one marked by a multitude of improvements in their game, including their growing roles as mentors to their teammates as they head into the NJCAA playoffs.
In addition to their shared mentorship roles, the ladies’ forays into the soccer world share several parallels. Saldaña and Gutierrez, from McAllen and Edinburg, respectively, became involved with athletics early on, eventually finding their way onto the soccer pitch.
Saldaña, a graduate of McAllen High School, played with the McAllen Youth Soccer Association (MYSA) and club soccer. Gutierrez, who started at IDEA Quest before transferring to IDEA Toros, became involved with the Olympic Development Program (ODP). Through these shared experiences, both ladies got to know one another, hone their overall skills, and cultivate their love for the sport as a whole.
However, their time as active athletes was not without the occasional setback. At one point, Saldaña had taken eighteen months off from the sport. Gutierrez endured two meniscus injuries, both of which required surgery, followed by a nearly three-year absence from active competition.
For both ladies, the love of the game never truly diminished, and before long, both found themselves competing in local leagues again. Those experiences became responsible for creating the connections that helped them find their way onto the TSC Scorpions team.
Saldaña and Gutierrez were convinced by Scorpion teammates and friends Anahi Banda and Maritza Saenz to try out for the TSC Scorpions team simultaneously. Both were uncertain at first, but after some discussions and soul-searching, they convinced each other to go for it.
Once they found out they were accepted and would be joining both TSC and the Scorpions team, their sense of elation quickly turned to a newly resolved focus. As their focus grew, so did their desire to share the benefit of their years of experience with their new teammates, which they have managed to fulfill.
“Their presence here has helped transform the team, and their leadership both on and off the field has had a positive impact on our younger athletes,” said Dr. Armando Ponce, Executive Director of Athletics & Civility at TSC. “They’re building the foundation for the future.”
Their performances have improved over the season, strengthening the foundation of a team composed of players across the Rio Grande Valley.
“I love being part of this community and our team family,” Gutierrez shared. “Our teammates are amazing, and the coaches are incredible. I feel like we truly have something special here.”
Saldaña added, “What I enjoy most is our team chemistry. The coaches are always open to working with us and hearing our input, which creates a real sense of unity and pride in representing where we’re from. It feels like the perfect fit, and we’re all really enjoying it.”
The depth of their impact also extends to the greater sense of camaraderie they have helped foster within the team. “The bus rides to our away games have been times when we’ve gotten to build our team chemistry. We’ve all grown comfortable with opening up to each other and helping each other out, either with sports or school,” Saldaña. “Even if we lose a game, we lift and keep each other strong. It’s something we understand and don’t take for granted.”
With the playoffs in sight, both ladies are simultaneously looking back and forward to prepare themselves. “We’re through ups and downs as a team, but we’re facing it together and staying motivated, playing every game like it’s our last one,” said Saldaña. “We’re playing beautiful soccer as a cohesive team, and we’re excited to have made it to this point and have the opportunity to make history.”
Through their individual and shared journeys, both ladies have displayed the kind of determination and perseverance that defines great athletes, and both are steadfast in their resolve to pass on everything they’ve learned to aspiring athletes who wish to follow in their footsteps. “Don’t give up, and always try to be as optimistic as possible,” Saldaña remarked, with Gutierrez adding, “Remember to have fun. It’s not the end of the world if you lose or have a bad performance – at the end, it’s about learning and trying to become a better version of yourself.”
Aleythia Gutierrez
Texas Southmost College Scorpions vs Texas A&M – San Antonio at Porter Early College High School in Brownsville, Texas, August 21, 2024. Final score Texas A&M San Antonio 3 – Texas Southmost College Scorpions 1. Esteban Del Angel / Texas Southmost College
Melanie Saldana
Texas Southmost College Scorpions vs Texas A&M – San Antonio at Porter Early College High School in Brownsville, Texas, August 21, 2024. Final score Texas A&M San Antonio 3 – Texas Southmost College Scorpions 1.
Aleythia Gutierrez
Texas Southmost College Scorpions vs Texas A&M – San Antonio at Porter Early College High School in Brownsville, Texas, August 21, 2024. Final score Texas A&M San Antonio 3 – Texas Southmost College Scorpions 1. Esteban Del Angel / Texas Southmost College
Melanie Saldana
Texas Southmost College Scorpions vs Texas A&M – San Antonio at Porter Early College High School in Brownsville, Texas, August 21, 2024. Final score Texas A&M San Antonio 3 – Texas Southmost College Scorpions 1. Esteban Del Angel / Texas Southmost College