At 3 years old, junior defender Ana Cristina Phillips had a simple driving factor: to be like her older sister, Raquel Phillips, a 2024 CHS graduate who played outside back for the Cowgirls. Hence, when she saw her older sister playing soccer, she followed in her footsteps and her kicks. Little did she know, what then began as a childhood ambition would grow into a deep connection with a sport she would cherish for the next decade and beyond.
Now serving as one of two captains leading the JV1 Coppell girls soccer team, Phillips has grown to be a reliable teammate, a unifying force and a hardworking individual both on and off the field.
How did you get into soccer?
My sister played when she was little. That’s basically how I got into soccer because I wanted to be like her. We are really close, so anything she does, I like to follow in her footsteps. When she started playing soccer, I was 3 years old. I kind of wanted to get into it as soon as she did. I started out in recreation and fell in love with the sport as I played.
What are qualities for key players to show both on and off the field?
Being calm and having good leadership skills are key. Not just that, but being a team player and being humble is also really important because playing as a team is way better than trying to do it all yourself.
How do you or your teammates showcase these qualities?
Whenever a player gets the ball, they don’t panic and just kick it because you can lose the ball really easily with panic. You stay calm, you find a nice pass and start a good passing sequence which can lead to a goal or a lot of possession.
What are your personal and team goals?
For my team, I’m really hoping we can win district. For myself, I really want to be a good role model for the girls on JV and get a lot of goals and assists to help out my team.
How is the chemistry of the team?
We’re a very possession-based soccer team, the whole program is. I do think that the girls are all very nice girls and we work really well together. That’s how we’ve been able to be very successful so far, and I think that it will continue to happen throughout the season.
How has the JV Cowgirls soccer program shaped you as an athlete?
It’s helped me come out of my shell a little bit. I used to be very quiet and now that I’m a captain on the team. I have to help these girls and lead them to have their own voices too.
What are some habits you have adopted because of soccer?
I’m always checking my surroundings, communicating and letting people know important information. Being in soccer has helped me to be able to manage my time really well and be able to take care of my responsibilities between being a student and an athlete.
How do you balance being a student and an athlete?
I practice everyday, so I do have to stay up late studying for tests and quizzes. I get my homework done really fast so I don’t have to worry about it later.
What motivates you to give your best?
I always want to do my best. I hate whenever I play a bad game; it really affects my mood. Because I’ve been playing it my whole life, I just don’t want to do anything less than my best and I can always tell when I’m able to do that.
How do you celebrate a win or cope with a loss?
For a win, we all congratulate each other about what we did well. Whenever we lose, we get back together and try to figure out what we could have done better and how we’re going to do better in the next game. For myself, sometimes whenever we win and I don’t play as well it doesn’t really feel too much as a win for me but the same goes for a loss. If we lose but I know we played well, it’s still a win for me.
What is your mindset going into each game?
I keep in mind that it is important to stay calm and collected and to help direct the girls that are higher up in the field. I also have to remind myself to have a good touch and be able to distribute the ball really well.
What do you wish to take away after each game?
I always try to look at what I did best and what I did worse and always try to improve on it the next game coming up so that I can always be improving and becoming a better player.
Follow @SidekickSports on X.
