While small in stature at just 5 feet tall, Cypress Bay’s Barbara Garcia came up huge in key games this season for the Class 7A state runner-up Lightning.
The junior midfielder scored the game-winning header with nine minutes remaining in the Class 7A state semifinals in a 2-1 win over Stoneman Douglas.
The Lightning (8-1) wouldn’t have gotten there if it hadn’t been for Garcia’s heroics in a come-from-behind 7-3 win over Dr. Krop in the regional quarterfinals when she scored three goals and added two assists. Garcia said her shooting improved this year.
“It obviously could have helped if we had more games,” said Garcia, who had 5 goals and 4 assists in the team’s COVID-19 abbreviated season. “It would have helped us get more fit, but it is what it is. We did what we could with what we had. I am looking forward to next year and lead the team. I want to get back to states again and hopefully win it.”
Cypress Bay coach Kate Dwyer called Garcia the workhorse of the team.
“Barb is typically the shortest one of the field, but her work ethic makes up for her lack of size,” said Dwyer, whose team reached its third straight state title game. “Her technical ability on the ball is also what makes her standout. Very few girls have the craftiness on the ball at her age.
“Her teammates feed off her energy and want create the same work ethic on the field,” Dwyer added. “We can always count on her, even when she is down, to get up and lead her teammates until the final whistle blows.”
It hasn’t been easy for Garcia who struggled learning a new language and adapting to a new culture after her arrival from Venezuela in her freshman year that she was unable to get the grades she wanted to.
“It was horrifying,” Garcia recalled. “I couldn’t get great grades. I wasn’t able to do any homework that they sent me because I didn’t understand anything at all.
“It hasn’t gotten any easier,” Garcia said. “I have to keep fighting through everything. It was really tough to learn a new language. It is still not that good, but I try my best. It has gotten better with school because they have people that help me with the translation.”
