On The Plains with Becky Contreras: 'putting in the work'

AUBURN, Ala. — For sixth year Becky Contreras, coming to Auburn was a new opportunity to reach her goal of playing at the highest level. Coming off an ACL injury and transferring in from Kennesaw State, Contreras saw the SEC as a new challenge that she was ready to take on to close out the last two years of her collegiate career. 

The Dacula, Georgia, product is no stranger to winning. She had a decorated career in high school and at Kennesaw State where she turned heads with her firepower season after season. 

“We won the state championship in high school, which was awesome, obviously," she said. "Going into college, I first went to Kennesaw State. I did really well there and got freshman of the year in 2019 for my conference. I was lucky to have a really good freshman year. It also helps because I love the college stage, and my freshman year was a great experience to get into college soccer."

After an impressive playing career at Kennesaw, Contreras hit the portal and transferred to Auburn with the eagerness to play at a higher level in order to follow her dream of playing professional soccer. 

“I knew that going to a bigger school would give me a better opportunity to do that and live my dream out,” Contreras said. “I just knew to have a better opportunity to reach my goals, which is to play professional soccer, I knew I had to go somewhere bigger and better to challenge myself in a new way."

Adversity is something that Contreras has dealt with throughout her playing career. Dealing with multiple surgeries has helped her change her perspective on the game while still having a winning mentality. 

“I have had three surgeries my whole career,” she said. “I have learned to understand my role, especially dealing with the ACL tear, which was a major surgery. It made me have to change my role from always being on the sidelines and sitting out that season to now being able to play. It gives me a lot of gratitude, so whenever I play now, I feel grateful for the opportunity."

Adapting to the new challenges would not be easy for her, especially after coming off multiple surgeries and being forced to sit out the 2022 season. Teamwork has been one of the main driving factors for Contreras’ recovery as well as being able to adapt to the changes of playing in a higher-level conference. 

“I think at first it was a really big struggle for me,” Contreras said. “Coming off the ACL injury and dealing with the fact that it’s a higher level here in the SEC with better competition. More people on this team have the same goal as I do, so everyone is pushing each other to be better. I think that was a really big adjustment at first, but as time went on, I really started to come out of my shell and I had some of my teammates tell me that it’s like I’ve been here for four or five years already, so it feels great now."

Contreras, who is currently getting her Master’s in Administration of Supervision in Curriculum, wants to be a leader for some of the younger players on the team and use the adversity she has faced, as well as her experience, to give her teammates confidence and push them in the right direction. 

“I hope that my younger teammates see me as someone who is full of perseverance. Some of them haven’t known me for that long, but they know that I have had set backs, and I hope they see that throughout your college career, you’re going to face many trials and tribulations, but you have to push through because it is all going to be worth it in the end. You’ve got to keep going because things are going to happen, like injuries, and I hope when they see me they see someone who keeps working and keeps going no matter what." 

Since high school, Contreras has been heavily influenced by her family, especially her mother, Rebeca Padilla, who has helped push her throughout her career and helped her overcome all obstacles. 

“My family is always there for me, through everything," she said.  "And my mom, a lot of what I do is for her. She’s always been there. She’s my backbone. I give a lot of credit to her."

Since stepping foot on The Plains, Contreras has fallen in love with the Auburn family and has felt at home and connected to her teammates and everyone within the program. 

“To me, it just feels so natural,” Contreras said. “Everyone here is so loving and caring and genuinely wants the best for you. I think it is great to see how everyone on our team has great relationships with people in our program. This place is really special and everything just comes so naturally." 

Contreras has grown in many ways as a collegiate soccer player and has continued to take advantage of every opportunity from her experiences. She continues to bring her winning mentality and drive to the team. 

So far, she has already bagged five goals and assisted on three others as the 2024 season winds down. 

“It has made me stronger,” Contreras said. “Obviously, mental health is something that is talked about a lot now and it has helped make me stronger in every aspect. I have always tried to have the mentality to keep my head down and to and keep going and remembering my strength is found in perseverance. It's what my whole life has been about."