Vandal women’s senior soccer goalkeeper Paula Flores has started off her final season as a Vandal strong, with three shutouts in the first six games of the season. With her latest shutout against South Dakota, she set the all-time program record for shutouts, picking up her 21st on her 21st birthday. She now sits tied for third in all of NCAA D1 women’s soccer in shutouts this season.
Her performances have helped Idaho get off to a 4-1-1 start, providing the Vandals with a steady presence in goal as they look to build on the success of recent seasons.
This trend is nothing new for Flores, who has served as Idaho’s last line of defense for the last three seasons. In her redshirt freshman season, she took over for Big Sky Goalkeeper of the Year Kira Witte after a season in which Idaho won the conference, leaving very big shoes to fill. But ever since her first game, she has taken hold of her role and anchored a talented Idaho defensive unit.
Her ability to make difficult saves is only one part of what has made her so valuable to the Vandals. Flores has also become an important voice for Idaho’s defense, using her position on the field to communicate with her teammates and help organize the team in front of her.
Coach Jeremy Clevenger highlighted those qualities when describing what Flores brings to Idaho.
“Paula is a fantastic addition to our goalkeeping unit,” Clevenger said.“Paula is an excellent shot-stopper. She is very athletic and covers the goal well. Paula is a good communicator and will help solve problems before they get to her.”
Flores was born in Tijuana, Mexico and lived there until the sixth grade, when her family moved to San Diego. The family remained there until her sophomore year of high school, when they moved back to Tijuana, but Flores continued to go to school and play soccer in San Diego.
She actually began her soccer career as a forward, but that changed during a game where she filled in for her team’s injured goalkeeper. She fell in love with the challenge and responsibility of the position, and never looked back.
After deciding to pursue a collegiate soccer career, Flores focused on applying to schools close to home in the California area, but would eventually widen her scope. Idaho reached out first after her strong performance at a tournament, and she immediately felt welcomed and appreciated.
“From the start, it felt like a family right away,” Flores said. “I liked the campus, I liked the
coaches, I liked the style of play, It just felt like home instantly.” Despite not seeing the field for her entire freshman season, Flores was dedicated to putting in the work on the practice field,
regularly participating in extra sessions to grow her game.
When her time came, the hard work had prepared her well, and she was able to step into the starting role seamlessly. With the Vandals off to a 4-1-1 start in her senior season, Flores and the rest of her teammates will look to put together another strong campaign, and avenge last season’s penalty shootout defeat in the semifinals of the Big Sky Conference tournament.
For a player who once stumbled into the goalkeeper position because her team needed someone to fill in, Flores has turned an unexpected opportunity into a record-setting career. Her journey from Tijuana and San Diego to Moscow, from forward to goalkeeper and from a freshman waiting for her chance to the most prolific shutout keeper in Idaho history, reflects the persistence that has defined her career.
Now, in her final season, Flores has one more opportunity to add to that legacy and with the Vandals chasing a championship, there may be no better place for Idaho to have her than exactly where she has been all along, standing between her team and the goal.