It has always been a life-long mission for Eric Flores to prove people wrong, to prove that he belonged.

“I guess one of my strengths is proving people wrong and it motivates me to work harder,” Flores said. “If you doubt me, I kind of want to make you regret it.”

Flores really put that mantra to the test during his time on the Northside soccer team. A goalkeeper, he had to wait his turn as an underclassman.

In fact, because he hardly saw any varsity action, teammates nicknamed him the “Bench Warmer,” as he seemed to never leave the bench.

But now during his senior season, though, Flores can’t be called that any longer. Instead, you can call him a rock, a leader, a glue guy, a key piece of the puzzle for this season’s group of Grizzlies.

Now the Grizzlies’ starting goalkeeper, Flores has helped continue the team’s stellar play at that position of late as Northside still has a chance to grab the 7A-Central title.

In the net, Flores has recorded six shutouts — including a 2-0 win at Cabot on Tuesday — and has six wins in which he allowed one goal during regulation time. During a six-game win streak in the conference, Flores had four shutouts.

“He’s very focused and he wants to do well, and that will take you very far. ... And he has become a leader on this team,” Northside coach Mauricio Maciel said.

“To be honest with you, I did not expect the kids to react to him like they have, but I strongly believe that they see a leader in him and they have embraced him for that.”


Flores said it didn’t take him very long to assume a leadership role once he became the team’s new starting goalkeeper.

“Early in the season, I was nervous when we took on Springdale, but when I noticed that it was my team now, I had to take charge,” Flores said. “There was no time to look at the stats, it was time to take charge and do the best I can.

“I’m more of a team leader and if I see my teammates’ heads down, I’m the type of person that will pick them back up.”

Another bit of motivation was that Flores is undersized for a goalkeeper, as he stands exactly six feet tall. It just made him want to work harder.

Flores took part in grueling off-season workouts in order to get that chance. It paid off as he won the competition for the shot to replace standout keeper and multi-year starter Chuy Parga.

“Me and Chuy are two different goalkeepers,” Flores said. “He’s a tremendous goalkeeper but people were doubting me and saying I wasn’t going to be as good as Chuy because of my size. I like to prove it out on the field, meaning I want to work hard and come in on Sundays and practice even more.

“I made sure (I wasn’t going to lose the starting job). So I played with my full ability and I took charge and I was ready to make it happen, so it made me practice harder because I wanted to get that starting role.”


Flores’ motivation can also be traced to when he was 6 years old, when his father Samauel passed away due to late stages of cirrhosis. It made Flores have to grow up in a hurry.

He became an intense competitor, one that admittedly “hated to lose.” And not just soccer but also other sports growing up, including football, as Flores played quarterback in junior high.

Flores continued to play football and soccer upon entering Northside.

But with a chance to get the starting goalkeeper job, Flores gave up football following his sophomore season and concentrated on soccer.

“I thought I was going to stick to football and soccer, but I felt that in soccer my time was going to come and I wanted to be prepared,” Flores said. “So I gave up my other love and switched to soccer full time and getting ready for my senior year because I knew my senior year was going to be my shot and I didn’t want to regret not being ready so I wanted to be ready.”

But it still wasn’t easy in the days leading up to his senior year, especially when Flores never left the bench during varsity action.

“There were times where I just wanted to give it up and try something new, but at the same time, I knew goalkeeping was my first time so I had to stick to it and be patient,” he said.


Of course, it’s a much different and happier outlook for Flores these days.

“That’s one of the rewarding things this season,” Maciel said. “He did not actually play any varsity minutes last year because of having Chuy, and we also had a good goalkeeper in Milton Hernandez, and Eric after not having played a single second on the varsity team, it’s amazing how he’s actually been one of the ones that has been a key to our success so far.”

Flores has also been able to use his athletic ability to come up with some saves.

For instance, during a big conference game against Cabot, a free kick attempt from nearly 20 yards out began to curve toward the upper left corner of the net.

But Flores was able to jump high in time to deflect the ball with his hand. He also made a couple of late saves as the Grizzlies won.

“As a goalkeeper, I guess I’ve got really quick reflexes and is able to react quickly,” Flores said.

“That play (against Cabot) was actually one of my better highlights of the year. ... That was just me doing my job protecting the goal and not letting them score.”


Flores is enjoying his senior year for another reason. He’s also made strides in the classroom, which stemmed back to an earlier incident which continued Flores’ determination to prove others wrong.

“I’m not going to lie, when I was a sophomore, I really didn’t care (about grades),” Flores said. “But coach Maciel made sure I stayed on top of my grades and he was always (on me), but I’m glad that he was.

“He’s like a father to me, and thanks to him, last semester I achieved a 4.0 and I want to finish with another 4.0 this year, too.”

And following graduation from Northside, Flores plans to attend UAFS and major in information technology.

Today, Flores will be one of 11 Grizzly seniors honored on Senior Night, as Northside takes on Southside at Mayo-Thompson Stadium.

The Grizzlies (12-5-1, 10-3) are currently a half-game back of Conway for first place as Northside will play its conference finale, while Conway still has two more games left.

“I owe everything to my family and my coaches,” Flores said. “But then again, my team is my family.”
