Junior Alvaro Quezada has become a regular in the men's soccer lineup since coming to UC Irvine. In his first three seasons with the 'Eaters he has played in 56 games, recording eight goals and nine assists. Quezada earned all-conference honors as a sophomore after helping the team to a 2018 Big West regular-season title and an NCAA Tournament bid.  

Hailing from Lancaster, Calif., Quezada attended Highland High School and played four seasons with LA Premier FC before coming to UC Irvine.
  

Q: At what age did you start playing soccer? What do you enjoy most about the sport? 
A: I started playing soccer at 6 years old in an AYSO club team where my dad was the coach and led us to several trophies. The thing I enjoy the most about soccer is that it is a never ending process for improvement and when I am able to showcase my talent on the field and score goals after a lot of hard work, it is an indescribable feeling.  

Q: Why did you choose to bring your talents to UC Irvine? 
A: I chose to bring my talents to UC Irvine because my club coaches, who I trust a lot, told me that UCI would be a great fit for me academically, soccer wise, and location wise, where it would be far enough from home where I could have my own life, but close enough that I could visit my family. Plus, I knew the coaches at UCI had a vision for greatness and they were willing to put in the work to achieve that vision, and at the same time hold me to high standards.  

Q: What has been your favorite memory or experience from your career at UCI thus far? 
A: My favorite experience from my career at UCI thus far has been winning the conference in 2018 with an overtime win against Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. It was something magical, especially being able to bounce back from last place the previous year and knowing all our hard work in the offseason paid off.  

Q: Can you take us through your initial thoughts when you heard about the cancellation of spring sports? 
A: When I first heard about the cancellation of spring sports, I couldn't even believe the news, but once I started to look more into the COVID-19 situation I was very sad because I was looking forward to developing and improving, individually and as a team. I was also deeply devastated for the senior athletes who had spring seasons and could just imagine what they had to go through. 

Q: How have you been staying in contact with your teammates and coaches during the hiatus? 
A: I have been staying in contact with my teammates and coaches during this pandemic through several Zoom meetings and our own group chats. During these meetings we have been setting up weekly challenges to have us all engaged as well as encouraging us to talk with our teammates outside of our Zoom meetings.  

Q: How was the adjustment to online classes? 
A: I have honestly been very familiar with online classes prior to this situation, so it was not such a big adjustment for me. However, some classes are meant to be taken in person, such as an upper division writing course, and it took a while for me to properly get adjusted to these types of courses.  

Q: What have you been doing to stay busy?
A: Not knowing how long this current situation would take for things to get back to normal, I set my mind to make the most out of this time and be as best prepared as I possibly could for my last season with UCI. Therefore, I have been training regularly and staying on top of my academics to form good habits and not worry about being fit or ready for the season.  

Q: What is the one thing you are most looking forward to doing when everything fully reopens? 
A: One of the things I am looking forward to the most when everything fully reopens is getting back on the field with my team and being able to play catch up with all my teammates in person.  

Q: Who is your favorite professional athlete? 
A: My favorite professional athlete is Cristiano Ronaldo because ever since I was a little kid I would watch his highlights and would try to play the way he did. And several years later I still admire his work ethic and discipline when it comes to wanting to be the best.    

Q: Why did you decide to major in Psychology and Social Behavior? 
A: I decided to major in Psychology and Social Behavior because I am very fascinated by the mind and would like to better understand how the mind works to use it to my advantage and help others. 

Q: What are your career aspirations? 
A: My career aspirations are to eventually play professional soccer overseas and inspire millions of kids all over the world with my journey by letting them know that even when they are against all odds, there is still the possibility to achieve their dreams.