For Alvaro Zamora, a junior marketing major and forward for the Patriots’ men’s soccer team, his sport is both a passion and an avenue through which he can earn a degree to achieve his goals within the business world.   

“The beauty of soccer is that if you fail once, nothing happens; try again until you achieve the goal,” Zamora said. “What keeps me motivated on the field is the opportunity to do better on the next play,”  

Zamora was born in Madrid, Spain. He grew up fostering a love for soccer because it runs in his family—his dad was an avid soccer player. Zamora has been playing soccer for as long as he can remember. He said he started playing when he was around three years old, and he said it has been his passion ever since.  

Zamora’s journey to FMU started at that young age, and his current status on the team is a continuation of his childhood dream. He now looks to leave a legacy behind after his career at FMU, and he is off to a great start with eight goals and nine assists before the end of his third year.  

Zamora said that he will always remember what it was like to make his first goal in the Francis Marion jersey: indescribable.  

“It was a golden goal in the second overtime of a difficult match. Something that I had never experienced before because in my country the rules are different,” Zamora said. “Being able to finish a game and a great victory with a goal of your own is an indescribable feeling.”  

Zamora believes kicking a ball towards the goal is one thing, but scoring a goal during a match is something you have to experience for yourself.   

This dedication and passion needs to stem from intrinsic motivation, something that Zamora has in spades. Such a feat can be challenging for someone from a different country, let alone a completely different continent. Zamora said he is an exchange student, which meant he had to learn ways to navigate American college life and steer away from being lazy or slacking.  

Majoring in marketing, Zamora attends FMU in hopes of building his reputation and profile as a soccer player, as well as getting a degree he can use in the real business world.   

Zamora said it is tough sometimes to balance a full-time sport with full-time classes and maintain his performance in both.  

“Many times, it is difficult to combine soccer with classes,” Zamora said. “you miss a lesson one day because of a trip, or you have an exam the day after losing a game. It is in those moments when it gets difficult for you, but it is worth it,”