“Tranquila Fer, la que viene:” Calm down, you’ll get the next one.
Bits of Spanish on the soccer field between LSU junior midfielders Fernanda Piña and Natalia Gomez-Junco show a glimpse of the friendship the pair has spent years building in the national-youth program in their home country of Mexico.
“It is way easier to communicate in Spanish for us. It is more natural,” Gomez-Junco said. “I try to do it in English, so everyone else is understanding what we are doing. But sometimes, it is easier to explain something to her in Spanish.”
Gomez-Junco and Piña became close when they met while training for the 2012 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in Japan, but their friendship flourished in Baton Rouge.
The Mexican national team gets its nickname, El Tri, from the three colors of its national flag, which double as the iconic colors the Mexican national jersey.
In fact, her friendship with Piña played a major part in Gomez-Junco’s decision to transfer to LSU from Memphis after the 2012 season.
Gomez-Junco shined in her freshman season at Memphis, scoring eight goals and recording 17 points. Her performance earned her a spot on the Conference USA All-Freshman Team in 2011.
Gomez-Junco struggled in her sophomore year, tallying two goals and five points, and made the decision to transfer.
Piña, a year younger than Gomez-Junco, had just finished her freshman year at LSU and told her friend how much she loved the program, the facilities and the coaches.
“[Piña] talked about how things were at LSU,” Gomez-Junco said. “It got my attention. The name LSU, the brand and all the things they have here and their team rules that I liked more than where I was. When I decided to transfer, I needed somewhere quick, somewhere good, and LSU was perfect for that.”
When Gomez-Junco decided on LSU, Piña’s recommendation of Gomez-Junco’s character on and off the field played a major role in convincing LSU coach Brian Lee to approve the transfer.
In Piña’s recommendation, she told Lee that Gomez-Junco is a professional player who works hard and would bring a different dynamic to the team.
Once Gomez-Junco’s transfer went through in January 2013, the pair faced a new challenge — Gomez-Junco’s redshirt year.
Off the field, Piña helped Gomez-Junco adjust to Louisiana by introducing her to friends off the team and, as she was when they trained with the national team, being her roommate.
“We have a lot of things in common,” Piña said. “We just understand each other really well. We live together and we never have problems.”
Even though they have similar interests on and off the field, according to Piña, the most fun part of their relationship is how different they are in personality.
Piña is outgoing while Gomez-Junco is more reserved. These differences give perspective and help each of them grow as players and people.
“Even though she is my best friend, I look up to her and that’s what I like about our relationship,” Piña said. “Whenever I’m tired of running, for example, and I see her running … I’m like, [if she is doing it] I need to [too] … She’s awesome for me.”
Gomez-Junco’s effort in training during the 2013 season challenged the players that could step on the field for game day to push themselves harder.
Watching Gomez-Junco give everything in practice, even though she could not play, pushed Piña to play harder because she had the ability to play.
“It was very hard for me,” Piña said. “But at the same time, she worked very hard. She grew up a lot in that year. For me, since I know her very well, I knew what she was going through … If she is sitting out and doing her best, I need to be way better … that helped me a lot.”
Although her season on the sideline was difficult, Gomez-Junco said it showed her a new perspective of the game. It became more like a coach’s view, which gives her a greater understanding of the game.
Gomez-Junco and Piña’s closeness off the field translates to excellent communication on the field and creates many offensive opportunities.
“Whenever you have a good relationship [off the field], you can tell on the field,” Piña said. “I know what she is thinking. I know [when] she is going to play a long ball or I know [when] she is going to shoot it.”
This season, both Piña and Gomez-Junco have threatened defenses from every angle with creative play.
Gomez-Junco is second on the team in goals scored, with four on the season and is tied with sophomore forward Summer Clarke and freshman forward Jorian Baucom with four assists. Piña is third on the team with six points, including two goals and two assists.
Piña and Gomez-Junco’s friendship helps them keep each other calm and focused on the field.
“I get very frustrated [on the field] and she knows what to tell me,” Piña said. “She knows maybe a word in Spanish like ‘tranquila,’ for example. It’s different, maybe if someone else told me in English I would take it, but since it’s her voice, I immediately hear it.”
A friendship that clicked immediately in Mexico has brought Gomez-Junco and Piña even closer through Gomez-Junco’s journey to LSU.
The connection they share on and off the field promises to bring success on the international stage for Mexico and for the Tigers right here in Baton Rouge.