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5 Questions With Rudi Rodriguez

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: January 9, 2008

Senior central defender Rudi Rodriguez has been a big part of Newsome's success this season. From stifling opposing forwards and preventing goals to her ability to set up scoring opportunities with her free kicks, Rodriguez is a major reason Newsome is the top-seeded team in Class 5A-District 8 and has a chance to return to the state tournament in Fort Lauderdale.

Anyone attending a Newsome game will say that one of your strengths is your skills with free kicks. Is that something that you naturally had or something you've worked hard to develop?

A lot of it came from playing club in Valrico. Our club team puts a lot of emphasis on free kicks, and here Coach Kelly Townsend exploits the opportunities when we have free kicks. For me, I just kick it and hope everyone is in the right place.

You play center back in club as well. Has defense always been your position of choice?

I enjoy defense a lot, but I used to play forward in club. But they say the best forwards make the best defenders, because they know how forwards are going to play. When I was in my Olympic development program, they started playing me at defender and I just like it. It's like being in the trenches.

Hypothetically, if you could play anywhere else on the field, where would that be?

If I could play anywhere else, it would probably be outside midfielder because I admire their work effort. It's just fun because you get to see a lot of balls and send a lot of balls, and at center back you don't get to see the ball near the goal that often.

Last season, Newsome advanced to the state tournament but wasn't able to win it, so how do you compare this year's team right now to last year's team?

This year's team is a lot more experienced - we've played together a lot more. Last year's team had chemistry, but there wasn't the intensity that I think we have this year. I think that's because a lot of players that are playing this year didn't have the chances to play last year, and that is driving them to do better. We all want to fill the shoes that last year's team set. Last year, we could taste it and we really, really wanted that ring, so this year we want to get back there.

With the regular season ending, what are your goals for this team?

We need to stick together as a team. As a team, we need to go into the playoffs and hopefully through. If we lose our cool or get frustrated, the team will fall apart. Our team relies a lot on communicating and sticking together, so that is what needs to continue.

Jarrett Guthrie

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