Pitman High School midfielder Lillyana Rodriguez has been around the sport of soccer since she was four years old. Playing the sport at the collegiate level has been a goal of hers for as long as she can remember, and last month, she came one step closer to achieving it as she signed her National Letter of Intent to continue her education and playing career at San Jose State.

“I am super excited,” Rodriguez said. “I’m just super stoked because I can't wait to go play next year at one of the highest levels. I’ve been to a few college games and seeing that atmosphere is amazing. To know that you can go to school and play your favorite sport at one of the highest levels has always been something I wanted to do. Every team they play, the competition is going to be really good, and I can’t wait to be a part of it.

“I love the campus. I love the atmosphere. Soccer-wise it’s a really good fit for me. The team all seem to have such love for each other outside and on the field, and I just love that.”

San Jose State claimed the Mountain West Conference crown in 2022. Rodriguez hopes to help the Spartans keep up their winning ways. Helping her team win is something she has become accustomed to at Pitman.

With the Pride, Rodriguez has been a three-year varsity player and helped lead the Pride to back-to-back Central California Athletic League titles in 2021 and 2022. The past two seasons, she has been named to the CCAL’s All-League first team. Her junior season last year was arguably her best, as she tied Pitman’s single-season goal record (27) with current San Jose State defender Isabella Shallou-Enes.

As her senior year gets underway, her goals are clear.

“Of course we want to win. I also want to have fun this year and soak it in. I think the biggest goal is to break the record. I really want to break out this year,” she said.