OLMITO, Texas — Rio Grande Valley soccer standout Sofia Prukop has signed a letter of intent to continue her athletic career at Texas Southmost College, becoming the first athlete from South Texas ISD Medical Professions to sign at the collegiate level.
“It’s nerve-racking, but also exciting to be the first player from this school to sign,” Prukop said.
In her senior season at Medical Professions, Prukop helped her team reach the Texas Charter School Academic & Athletic League state championship game.
Texas Southmost College women’s soccer head coach Jesus Villarreal said Prukop’s on-field vision and technical ability stood out throughout the recruiting process.
“Every game that I saw her play, I don’t think I saw her miss a pass,” said TSC women’s soccer head coach Jesus Villarreal. “She’s a very smart girl on the field.”
A left-footed player, Prukop played primarily as a midfielder for Medical Professions while also serving as an outside back for her club team, Classics Elite STX.
“She is a midfielder and she knows how to attack,” he said. “She knows how to run her diagonals.”
Villarreal, who is in his second season as head coach at TSC, said Prukop’s versatility will be valuable as the program prepares to replace several defensive players lost to graduation
“Coming in, Sofia will make up part of the midfield,” Villarreal said. “We also have some ideas of using her defensive skills as well.”
By recruiting a player from a school recognized for academic excellence, Villarreal said the signing reflects a broader approach to finding talent beyond established high school soccer programs.
“We’re going into our fourth season in school history and when I took over, one of things I said was to look for players in different places,” Villarreal said. “This is one player we followed and looked at.”
Coach Villarreal and the Scorpions will kick off their season in August.
