Photo by Kaitlin Oki / Nevada Sagebrush

By Iman Lathan

Nevada’s record-holding soccer alumna, Dana Moreno drove eight long hours through the mountainous highway 395 from her home in Los Angeles to play in Wolf Pack’s annual alumni soccer game on Saturday at Mackay Stadium. At the game, the crowd recognized the energized goal keeper as one of the better alumnae on the field, as one could hear and see her being vocal and leading her team. Her love for soccer was made obvious to all in attendance.

“Dana’s passion for the game is like no one I’ve ever seen before,” said Nevada forward Chrisalyn Fonte, a close friend of Moreno.

For a majority of collegiate athletes, there will come a time when they must hang up their jersey and face the “real world” away from the shelter of the NCAA. These athletes’ entire lives and identity have resided in the sport that they play. So, coupled with the enjoyment that comes with a senior season is the realization that they will soon have to face the world. Nevada’s own Moreno has not buckled under that potentially terrifying pressure since her graduation. She is now thriving in the post-NCAA soccer life.

Moreno finished her career with the Wolf Pack in 2012, during which she landed herself second on the all-time minutes played list (3,624:56), second in program’s history in shutouts (8), and fourth in career GAAs (1.61). She made a name for herself as a standout goalkeeper at Nevada, leaving a mark on the soccer field that will not be erased.

“Life is completely different,” Moreno said. “I don’t have soccer every day. It was weird adjusting to my new life.”

Today, Moreno lives in her hometown of Los Angeles and has a number of happenings going on in her life. She is an intern at Fox Sports Radio for JT the Brick, a shift supervisor for a major buffet chain, and was recently added to the coaching staff at Pierce College’s women’s soccer team in Los Angeles.

“Dana is passionate and dedicated,” said Taylar Rothfuss, a friend of Moreno. “She’s good at everything she does.”

Five years from now, the former Wolf Pack star hopes to be managing a restaurant. Moreno has developed an interest and passion for servant hood and the restaurant industry.

“For some reason I love being a manager at a restaurant,” Moreno said. “It’s my ideal job. I love seeing people happy. It’s better than sitting in some office at a computer.”

With the conclusion of her collegiate soccer career in 2012, she is enjoying life to the fullest, feeling as if she was well prepared to face the world, which she credits to her life of soccer. As team captain her senior year, she said she learned valuable leadership qualities and lessons that could only be taught in the classroom of athletics. Her strong leadership has led to quick promotions for her in the workplace and being easily hired for various jobs and internships.

“All of the things that I have learned at UNR have prepared me for the real world,” Moreno said.

Moreno has not completely tossed her soccer cleats into the dusty box of memories to be left in the basement, but instead is training with hopes of pursuing a professional career. She will be attending the combine tryouts for the FC Kansas City, one of the eight professional teams in the National Women’s Soccer League.

Nevada’s Moreno is seeing much prosperity and acknowledges that playing soccer for the Wolf Pack was one of the best experiences of her life and has translated her lessons of management and hard work on the soccer field into success in the work place today and because of this, she will forever support the Wolf Pack.

“I will always back the Pack,” Moreno said.

Iman Lathan can be reached at euribe@sagebrush.unr.edu.