Throughout the course of a season, many athletes turn to fellow teammates for leadership. Some leaders tend to pump up the team with loud chants and crazy antics, but ISU women’s soccer junior forward Amy Flores leads with a quiet resolve that speaks volumes to her teammates.

Flores started her soccer career early in her life, and said she immediately took a liking to the game.

“I was probably 5 years old,” Flores said. “My parents put me in a rec league in my neighborhood and I fell in love with the game. I’ve loved it ever since.”

After playing high school soccer at St. Francis in her hometown of Sacramento, Calif., Flores brought her skills to the Cyclones and tried to make her impact felt immediately.

Though soft in demeanor, Flores plays with passion — particularly for her favorite part of the game, which is also one of the most important in any sport.

“I love scoring goals,” Flores said. “Everybody in the world should get a chance to feel how it feels after you score a goal, especially in a big game.”

As much as she loves contributing to the scoreboard, Flores said that it is extremely important to stay composed, even when scoring is at a minimum.

“[Composure] is one of the hardest things,” Flores said. “After you get down in a game, you just need to keep telling yourself ‘the game isn’t over.'”

As calm as she stays on the field, it isn’t the only leadership quality that Flores possesses. New challenges arrive each day, even in practice, and it is a lead-by-example style that she constantly brings to the field.

“You practice like you play,” Flores said. “You need to bring it to practice, and I feel like our team does a great job of that.”

In the locker room, Flores is like any other athlete. Pregame rituals are important to many individuals in order to compete in every game. Some athletes meditate, some pray, and others jump around. Flores prefers music.

The Eminem-loving forward’s pregame music selection is anything but muted. Flores said she blasts her music before each game.

“I love music,” Flores said. “It just kind of loosens me up for the game.”

Flores’s actions do not go unnoticed by teammates.

Freshman goalie Jo Haig has only known Flores in the short time that she has practiced with the Cyclones, but already has a lasting impression of her.

“Amy is not going to be out there yelling all the time,” Haig said. “You are going to see her in practice going 110 percent at the ball every day.”

The effort that Flores puts forth in front of the group inspires each player to contribute more every day.

“If you see someone working that hard, you want to work just as hard as them,” Haig said. “It’s a group thing.”

A team’s practices show just how hard it plays and reap benefits on the field.

“You know if you have had a really good practice that you are going to bring that to the next practice and eventually the game,” Haig said.

“If you’re coming off a good practice, you’ll be ready for the game.”