Meet the Moles: Sophie
The Dancer Who Loves To Travel
The day I recruited Sophie to the Moles was when I realized that I’m damn good at this team-building business.
In the weeks leading up to the start of the Fall 2023 season, I had brought in, among others, Dio and Kiku in an effort to bolster our numbers and put our stamp on a new, more challenging Tuesday league. I knew we would be solid defensively, but we’d been sorely missing a goalscorer–although they had carried us to a title the previous spring, Ethan’s screamers from midfield were not a sustainable source of goals. The night before the start of the season, I opened up an email sent at 12:06 am by the BAASL admin detailing the list of available free agents, and found the answer to my prayers:
First name: Sophie. Last name: Marengo. Preferred position: Striker.
Let’s fucking go.
I quickly drafted a recruiting email (Subject: Join Mia Hamm’s Favorite Adult Co-Ed Soccer Team, but more on that later), made a mental note to follow up via text the next day, then imagined what level of play we could unlock by having someone who, at the very least, preferred to play up top.
But it’s the 21st century, the internet exists, and one can leverage technology to go beyond one’s imagination. It always confuses me when people act like I’m crazy when I look up a potential recruit on the internet, as if it takes more than five minutes and isn’t something ALL of us have done at some point. Even more baffling is when I get nervous chuckles from said recruits when I mention to them that I found their LinkedIn, college stats, or MaxPreps profile–would people rather I hide the fact that I Googled their names? I would argue that everyone should Google anyone who they plan to spend hours of time with in any capacity, if not to mitigate the chances of recruiting an axe murderer.
In Sophie’s case, not only did I find a complete dearth of axe murdering, I came across a piece of her soccer history that I henceforth obsessively searched for in every potential recruit. Folks, I present to you her high school highlight reel:
The next morning, I sent that follow-up text, secured her signature, and the rest is history.
Sophie chats with us about hating outside back, the original Burning Man, and how to manage a long-distance relationship.
Tell us about yourself. Who are you and what’s your deal?! What's something about you that most people on the team wouldn't know?
Hi! I’m Sophie. I’m 25 years old, I grew up in El Cerrito, and I love to travel. I’m the oldest child of two oldest children. I have a younger brother (Aaron aka Brophie) who my parents and I like to call The Little Prince. I can be mean when I play soccer but I’m actually a super sensitive and emotional person (I’m a Scorpio).
Something people on the team wouldn’t know about me is that I was a dancer. I actually started dancing before I started playing soccer. Soccer and dance were always a huge part of my life and definitely shaped my identity growing up.
What’s your history with soccer? Start with your earliest memory and go from there.
When I was 5, my parents asked me if I wanted to try soccer. I told them no. A few months later, they asked me again. I don’t know what changed my mind, maybe it was because I was 6 and feeling more brave, but I said yes!
My first team was called the Sharks. We were unstoppable. I played center forward and I scored every game. I remember one game I didn’t score and I cried to my dad afterwards.
In 5th grade, some of my teammates and I went to Mavericks. We lost a lot but we were all best friends. I played attacking mid there and on my high school team. Sophomore year of high school, my best friend and I left Mavericks and went to Magic, which is where I met Dio! Our coach at Magic tried to make me an attacking-minded outside back and I hated it. Eventually he gave in and started putting me on the wing.
My soccer journey came full circle at Cal when I joined the club soccer team and went back to playing striker (with a little bit of wing and attacking mid sprinkled in).
One other thing, I love Alex Morgan. I met her when I was 13 and I cried. I used to wear a pink sports bra and pink hair wrap every game just like her. I still try to have something pink whenever I play (hair tie, sports bra, etc.) She’s the reason I always wear #13. I once learned that she had a specific sequence for putting on her socks, shin guards, and cleats. I’ve done it the same way ever since. If I forget to do it in the right order I have to start over.
How did you come to join the Moles and what was your first impression of the team?
When I lived in Spain I played a lot of pick-up. I was looking for something similar when I moved back home and decided to sign up for BAASL as a free agent. A day or so later, I got a recruitment email from Daniel Tan with a video attachment. It was a cameo from Mia Hamm urging me to join the Moles. No one says no to Mia Hamm.
Editor’s note: best $125 I’ve ever spent.
My first impression was that everyone was so kind and welcoming! I’m very grateful that I got picked up by the Moles and not any of the other teams in our league lol.
What kind of player are you? What do you like to do most on the field?
I’m an attacker through and through. I love to score goals. I also love giving my teammates a clean through ball or cross. Turning on a defender and getting a shot off is really fun for me. I missed a PK once in middle school and now I really struggle with them. I don’t like to use my head, but I do like to bring the ball down out of the air with my feet. As a center forward, I always try to check into space for the back line and lay off a one-touch pass to a midfielder or wing. I can be aggressive and sometimes I let my emotions get the better of me. I think I’m a hard worker and a team player!
Outside of soccer, work, or school, what else are you passionate about or invested in?
I studied abroad in Barcelona for 2 and a half months and then got sent home because of the pandemic. I actually came down with a 105-degree fever like an hour after getting home from the airport. Luckily my mom is a nurse and took really good care of me.
I felt like I had unfinished business, so I went back to teach English in Valencia after graduation. I fell in love with Spain and seeing new places and I’ve had the travel bug ever since! I even tried to start a travel blog but I got overwhelmed, so it’s currently still a work in progress…
I also love doing yoga with my parents, visiting friends in different cities, hiking, backpacking, and scrapbooking.
Choose one piece of media - a book, movie, etc. that you would recommend to people on the team.
Danni already knows I’m a huge Survivor fan. My mom watched the first season while she was breastfeeding me so it’s a very important show in our family. I’ve applied like 5 times. If you’re into strategic/social games I would highly recommend checking it out! We also just started watching The Traitors and we love it because they cast a bunch of Survivor legends.
If you like historical fiction romance, Letters from Skye is one of my favorite books. I also recently read The Berry Pickers and really enjoyed it!
What are your biggest strengths and weaknesses (in soccer or just as a person)?
Like I said, I’m really emotional and sensitive. I think it makes me an empathetic person but it also sometimes means that I don’t handle criticism or confrontation well. In soccer, I can get heated easily and occasionally foul on purpose…
On the other hand, I’m a hard worker and I think I’m a good friend.
You seem really well-traveled! What’s your favorite place that you’ve visited, and what countries are on your bucket list?
Omg this is such a hard question. For nature adventures, I’d say the Dolomites, Patagonia, or Costa Rica. Gav and I went to Costa Rica for a month and it wasn’t enough time. We also just went to Mexico City and Oaxaca and I absolutely loved both. Buenos Aires has a special place in my heart because my grandpa is from there. I went on a girls trip to Milos and Paros in Greece that was so much fun. Also it’s so basic but everywhere in Italy is amazing. Honestly I could go on and on.
Bucket list: Thailand, Japan, New Zealand, Peru, Nicaragua, Puerto Rico, Iceland, Tanzania
Also, Gavin and I are planning to go to Albania in April!
If you could own a studio, a two-bedroom condo, and a mansion anywhere in the world, which three cities would you choose, respectively, and why?
Studio: I haven’t been there (yet) but I’m going to say Bangkok because it seems like a really cool city and I could also use it as a base for traveling around Southeast Asia and Oceania.
Two-bedroom condo: I would choose Valencia because I miss it every day. It’s such a fun city. The weather is amazing, it’s right on the Mediterranean, the food and nightlife are amazing, and there’s always something to do. It’s super close to the Balearic Islands and really beautiful coastal towns. It’s a quick train ride to Barcelona and flights to other cities in Europe are really cheap. Every year in March there is a fire festival called Las Fallas. It’s a week of partying in the streets and parades and fireworks. At the end they burn a bunch of giant wooden sculptures. It’s basically the original Burning Man. Look it up. It’s wild.
Mansion: I have to say somewhere in Mexico, maybe Puerto Escondido or Tulum. I’ve been to Tulum with my family and always wanted to go back. I’ve heard Puerto Escondido is amazing and it’s not too far from Oaxaca city!
Valentine’s-themed question! You’ve been in a long-distance relationship with your Irish fella, Gavin, for a few years, and you’re clearly obsessed with each other. Being apart must be tough—what tips do you have for making the distance easier?
Awww cute. Gavin is the sweetest and I love him so much! Honestly, he makes the long distance easy.
Tip #1: We always try to have our next trip planned so saying goodbye isn’t as hard. We text (on WhatsApp of course) a lot and FaceTime as much as we can, although sometimes it’s tricky with the time difference. We’re very lucky that we both have the flexibility to visit each other and go on really fun trips. We try to see each other every 3 months or so. Distance makes the heart grow fonder! But patience is key haha.
Tip #2: Just get married.