Sophomore midfielder Bianca Munoz decided early that she wanted to go to college.

From San Lorenzo in the San Francisco Bay area, Munoz is a second generation American, whose mother Alma came here from Guadalajara with her parents at the age of 14. Her dad, Felipe, came to the U.S. from the Mexican state of Zacatecas following high school in search of a better life. Neither had an opportunity for a higher education.

"I came from a family that didn't have much opportunity to go to college. I wanted to have the opportunities they didn't have," said Munoz, who is a Big Sky Scholar Athlete, continuing an academically excellent career that began in high school.

The question was how to make that happen.

Munoz started playing soccer at the age of five when her mom

put her on a soccer team.

"I think she wanted me to be physically active…also my brother (Isaac, 20) had played soccer."

She liked the excitement of soccer.  "It was fun."

"Everyone has the dream to play professional soccer. But in middle school, it was like…'ok, that's not going to happen'…but already my goal was to get to college so I thought maybe soccer can help me get there."

The first inkling that it might came during her freshman year in high school.

"When I was a freshman, my coach told me that a local junior college was looking at me. So I said to myself…'right, this is just the beginning. I could actually do this'," she recalled.

Good soccer players often start hearing early from college coaches. Munoz was no exception. She played in a showcase with one of two club teams, the Bay Oaks Speed Demons '94, and her coach said there were several colleges interested in her.

Besides the Vikings, Saint Mary's and the University of San Francisco also had interest in Munoz.  But, PSU had an ace in the hole.

Bay Oaks was coached by a former roommate of PSU head coach Laura Schott.

"I'd heard of Portland State and my club coach was a good friend of Laura's so, when I talked to her, she told me PSU was a strong program and would be a good place to play," Munoz said.

But, what about leaving home?  Saint Mary's and USF were much closer to her family.

"I've always been independent. I'm not scared to get away. I love new experiences and as long as there was a team and I could be part of a program, then I was fine," she said.

Her parents and grandmothers have been very supportive. Her mother, who is in social services for the state of California, has been to a match and follows her on WatchBigSky.com whenever a game is shown there.

So, when Schott made an offer, it was exactly what Munoz wanted, she recalled.

Besides, when she came on a visit, she felt right in place.

"I liked how clean it was. I really felt a connection. I like living downtown and that there are things to do beyond the campus," she said. 

Munoz particularly likes eating downtown and "just walking around the mall."

On the field, her goal was to work into the starting rotation.  She accomplished that this year.

"She's a sophomore, so this is the first year she's seen a lot of time. But, she's doing well and has evolved into a starter," said Schott. "Bianca is really sound technically. She's good on the ball and very quick. She's a play maker."

That's what Munoz likes to do, but she'd like to add a dimension to her game.

"I like to keep the ball at my feet. I like passing and creating scoring opportunities," she said. "I'd also like to create scoring chances for myself and that's a matter of looking for those opportunities while I'm helping make opportunities for others."

And like some other Vikings with Mexican roots, Munoz has also considered playing within the Mexico National Team system.

She has a friend who made the Mexico U-20 National Team. "But, I'm really after an education and that would interrupt my education," she said.

A psychology major, Munoz is carrying a 3.8 cumulative GPA and expects to go on for a master's degree, although she hasn't decided on a career yet.

There's still plenty of time for that and, in the meantime, Schott has big hopes for her career on the soccer pitch at PSU.

"My expectation is for her to be a leader and a play maker. Her leadership skills are developing. She's an emerging leader on the field by example and vocally.  She communicates well with the other players," Schott said.