A few days before winning its opening match of the state junior college women's soccer tournament, Monique Martínez and her Fresno City College teammates took time to visit patients at Children's Hospital of Central California.
The third-seeded Rams (5-0-1 in conference, 11-5-6 overall) scored a 3-1 win over visiting Ohlone College on Saturday and advanced to a second-round match Tuesday (Nov. 22).
The playoffs are icing on the cake for Martínez, the team's leading scorer, and head coach Oliver Garmond. The Rams have not lost a conference match in five years, and have reached the Final Four in the state championship the last four years.
Martínez, a second-year forward with 12 goals and 8 assists, and her teammates, were focused on children last week. The visit, said assistant coach Drew Mattos, is a sort of stress reliever for the players.
Martínez, a 2008 graduate of Clovis West High School who aspires to enter the nursing profession, found the entire visit inspiring.
She introduced herself to 7-year-old David, who was in one of the hospital's playrooms with his mother, Grace. As David held the game controls to a video game was not working, Martínez playfully placed a plastic fireman's hat on his head.
Martínez sat and talked with David, who was turning 7 the next day, about video games, and other toys in the playroom.
David's mother was comfortable enough with Martínez that she left the two alone for a moment.
"I loved it. I feel like it was the spark that I needed to get through school," Martínez later said.
"Sometimes you question yourself about whether you're doing the right thing, but when I was there, it was the perfect reminder of pursuing my dream of becoming a nurse."
David, whose right arm was in a cast, has no serious illness, but hospital officials said the reason for his hospital stay is private.
"I'm actually going to be job-shadowing here Christen Davis," said Martínez.
Davis, a registered nurse at the hospital, is the wife of Martínez's pastor.
All the players signed cards for the kids in the playroom before leaving the hospital.
Martínez, who plans on transfering to Biola to compete in the NAIA, got a hug from David.
While Biola is her first choice, she plans on entering a nursing program wherever she winds up.
Thirteen players will leave the team after this season, one of the reasons coaches for a 27-player roster. Shortly after the season ends, Germond and Mattos will search local high schools for talent.
"We have 99.9 percent of our kids are local kids. We're a community college, and that's what we're her for: Is to give kids who may not have a chance to go to a four-year school, have them come through our program, and give them that opportunity," said Germond.
On Saturday, freshmen GG García (who celebrated her 18th birthday), Natalie Perales and Jasmine Woodruff scored for the Rams against Ohlone. All three are from area schools: García from Washington Union, Perales from Madera South, and Woodruff from Redwood.