EDINBURG – As a kid, the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley men's soccer senior goalkeeper Jorge Medina tried the best he could to avoid playing the game of soccer.
 
Medina hated to be picked last when it was time to choose teams and then he hated to run, which in soccer is an important factor unless you are a goalie.
 
One day, his friend asked him to be in goal since they didn't have a keeper and at first Medina refused but as a favor to his friend he played anyways. In that first game, Medina made some plays that had his friends in awe and he would no longer be picked last.
 
"In that game, I made some pretty good saves," Medina said. "Now everyone started to like me. I started liking the position of goalkeeper because I actually was good. Then they invited me to play on the team in middle school but I didn't show up."
 
Medina still was hesitant to fully commit to the game of soccer but that didn't stop his middle team school from needing a goalie. When the coach found out Medina was good at it, he tried to persuade Medina to come out for the team but to no avail, even when the coach said he didn't need to come out to practice as long as he showed up to the game.
 
When Medina told his parents he was invited to play they were excited for him even if he wasn't interested in showing up. Come game day, Medina was playing video games in his room and his dad walked in and told him to get dressed because he was going to that game.
 
"We went to my first game and from there I really started to like it," Medina said. "The coach told me that I have big potential in soccer. He told me there are going to be tryouts for the under-15 academy. Again, I told my parents and they were excited."
 
Growing up, Medina wasn't in the best physical shape and his mom was worried that he was going to struggle because of that while his dad thought that he could handle it. On the day of the tryout, Medina found out that his mom was right and he didn't make the cut.
 
Medina showed up the following year for the tryout and while his mom was hesitant once again, this time he made it to the academy. Medina spent a year with the under-15 team and started his journey in his soccer career.
 
The team helped him get in shape by helping him get on a diet and obviously exercising. With his time in the academy, not only did he get better phsycially but he learned to believe in his soccer ability.
 
"They put me on a diet and I weighed in every single Friday," Medina said. "I started to develop my soccer skills through time so from there I discovered myself. I found that I have potential in soccer and I have potential to develop and achieve great things. I am very thankful to my parents for giving me this opportunity and always supporting me."
 
In 2011, Medina found himself in a tough spot. He moved to Mission from his hometown of Monterrey, Mexico and started school at Sharyland High School where he didn't know anyone. At this point, soccer was his passion and the first thing he did was ask about the soccer team.
 
He was told that he needed to try out and he ended up on the JV White time which was the lowest of the three teams. He played a few games and the coaches noticed that he was pretty good so they had him play with JV Red, which was the team before varsity. Before he knew it, Medina was starting for the varsity team at Sharyland High School.
 
In 2012, Medina led his team to a state championship and after arriving at Sharyland High School with no friends, he left there with a group of brothers.
 
"I can call those guys my brothers," Medina said. "When I moved here, I didn't even speak English. That was tough. The soccer team helped me out to develop all my language and academics."
 
After winning the state championship, Medina received a lot of offers to play collegiate soccer but his grades didn't help him go to the next level. He worked hard to graduate in the two years he had as he went to summer school and even spent extra hours at school.
 
While he wanted to go to a Division I university, Medina chose to go to Wylie College in Marshall, Texas. It's a small town in East Texas and about eight hours from Mission so moving away from his family was another tough transition for Medina.
 
"Being far away in my freshman year was pretty tough," Medina said. "Living by myself is very different. You have different responsibilities. I am the type of guy that doesn't want to get into trouble. I missed my family because I am very close to my family but I knew it was going to be worth it at the end."
 
At Wylie College, Medina went 4-2-3 after allowing six goals with 25 saves as in 12 matches as a freshman. He also learned who he is as a person away from his family and on his own but when he learned that the men's soccer program at UTRGV was coming back, it was an opportunity to play close to home.
 
Medina always had wanted to play Division I soccer and even had another offer in New Jersey, which he turned down. He now had the chance to come back to his family and friends, so he contacted UTRGV head coach Paul Leese and was invited to try out.
 
Throughout his time at UTRGV, Medina has learned more about himself. He says he always felt like he was rushing through life but with the UTRGV soccer program he has learned to be more organized.
 
He also learned that it is not easy to juggle the life of a student-athlete with all the practices and studying that is required. He is thankful to coach Leese for all he had done for him and giving him a chance.
 
"One of the things I am thankful for with coach Leese is that he gave me the opportunity and I am here now," Medina said. "I also very thankful with God. There are too many people that want to be in my shoes and I am very excited to finish this December."
 
Medina is majoring in graphic design and looks forward to graduating and to getting a job somewhere in sports. He also looks forward to moving away somewhere different and somewhere bigger.
 
"Right now, I am looking forward to graduating," Medina said. "I have always been around the Hispanic culture and I want to do a big change. I want to do a big change and move up north like Chicago, New York, Washington or Seattle. I want to go to a big city up north where I can experience everyone else is different from me."
 
Medina says being able to move up north to a big city will help him learn more about the American culture.
 
Throughout his journey in soccer, Medina never gave up, even when he didn't want to play in the early stages of his career. He hopes that if his younger teammates or future members of the program can take away something from him, it would be not to give up.
 
"Never give up and always be consistent," Medina said. "Be perseverant every single day. Perseverance helps you to achieve good things. That is one of the reasons I am here now. I know there are a lot of people that want to be in my shoes. If something goes wrong try to motivate yourself that the next one will be good. Perseverance is the key to success."
 
No matter where Medina ends up, you know he will always have a smile on his face, he will never give up and he will work hard for what he wants. That is the kind of person Medina is and that is the way he will be remembered at UTRGV. 

Support UTRGV Men's Soccer | Become a Fan on Facebook | Follow us on Twitter | Follow us on Instagram | Follow us on YouTube