Bella Cuadra had a choice to make.
She was 12 years old and playing both softball and soccer.
But her parents, Melissa and Ray, said the constant rides to all of those games and practices — which included separate trips for Sophia and AJ, her younger siblings — were becoming too unwieldy.
So Cuadra had to pick a sport. She didn’t hesitate.
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“Automatically, I said soccer,” Cuadra said. “It was just a reflex.”
Well into her fourth season with Andrean, Cuadra has no doubt she made the right decision.
But more confirmation came Thursday, when the senior midfielder headed in the only goal in Andrean’s 1-0 win against Illiana Christian during a Class 1A DeMotte Christian semifinal.
It was Cuadra’s fifth goal of the season and her first since Sept. 3.
“It was so exciting,” Cuadra said. “I’ll be searching for that same emotion for the rest of the season.”
Sophomore goalkeeper Kate Wantuch made 12 saves for the 59ers (11-2-4), who will play Bishop Noll in the sectional final on Saturday. Andrean, the 2021 Class 1A state runner-up, and Illiana Christian (12-3-3) had played to a 1-1 draw on Sept. 17.
Seeing Cuadra’s name on the scoresheet in a pivotal game didn’t surprise coach Jeff Clapman.
“It seems like she’s always coming up big for us whenever we need it,” Clapman said. “Whether it’s her possession, her distribution or her vision, she always does something big.”
That started when Cuadra was a freshman in 2019. She had three goals and two assists on a senior-laden team.
“Playing with them was amazing,” Cuadra said. “I was really quiet when I came into high school. But that big senior group made me speak up and become more confident.”
That confidence has carried Cuadra into varying roles each season because Clapman has confidence that she will flourish in any position on the field.
“She came in with a world of talent and has gotten better every year,” Clapman said. “Some years we’ve needed her to score more, other years we’ve needed her to distribute. We just tell her what she needs to do, and she does it.”
Her winning goal on Tuesday came off a corner kick by senior outside midfielder Emily Ziegelhofer, Cuadra’s “best friend on and off the field,” Cuadra said.
“A lot of our corners don’t connect at all,” Ziegelhofer said with a laugh. “It’s a sad truth because we practice them so much. But if I had someone to aim for, it would 100% be Bella because she puts her heart and soul into finishing every ball.”
Cuadra called it her “favorite goal ever,” even if she couldn’t believe it happened.
“Yeah, I was a little surprised to see that one go in,” she said.
But one Andrean fan might not have enjoyed the circumstances.
“I’ve always loved heading the ball, but my mom hates it,” Cuadra said. “She always gets so nervous. To head one into the goal, especially in a big game like this, it’s just amazing.”
Dave Melton is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.