“If at first you don’t succeed, dust yourself off and try again.” — Aaliyah Dana Haughton

This quote could not be more relevant to Brian Molina’s time at Arizona. The senior is a Tucson native and said he has always wanted to come to the UA.

Molina tried out for the men’s club soccer team his first year at the UA. He said he made it to the last day of tryouts; however, he came up short and did not make the team.

After two years of conditioning, playing soccer for competition and for fun, he tried out once more and made the team. Molina is now the leading goal-scorer with eight goals in 13 games.

Molina jokingly said before the weekend’s games that he would only increase his personal goal differential.

As his teammates have said, “He came off the bench and just started scoring goals.”

Despite their teasing about previously being a bench player, his teammates said they admire his confidence on the field. They said Molina plays with determination and humility.

Sounds like a pretty good teammate to have.

As for Molina, he said he has been playing since he was a kid and has a genuine love for the sport.

“I love the sport,” Molina said. “My cousin got me into playing soccer and growing up, he passed away. I do it for him every game.”

Molina said he mimics the way Lionel Messi, Diego Maradona and Christiano Ronaldo play.

He said he would like to see Messi and Maradona, who are both Argentinian players, play against one another; then he could decide ultimately who is the best Argentinian player of all time.

As for his favorite player growing up, Molina had to go with Ronaldo.

“I like his style of play and confidence on the ball and his love for winning,” Molina said.

Of course, Molina shares his favorite player’s love for winning. Molina cares about having a strong performance for his teammates and representing the team the best he can.

The UA men’s club soccer team beat New Mexico 6-0 and University of Texas at El Paso 5-0 over the weekend. With a pair of closing victories, Arizona finished first place in its region for the regular season with a record of 9-3-1.

Arizona’s new head coach, Eric Rhodes, has more than developed the players on the team. He has instilled confidence and keeps the team moving forward.

Rhodes’ goal for the season was to come out No. 1 in the region, and that is exactly what the Wildcats did.

Up next, the UA has its Regional Tournament held in Glendale, Arizona. Facing some of the best teams, the Wildcats hope to make a historic statement with a win in the Regional Tournament.

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