It’s more than just a game.
The UNM women’s soccer team will pay a special tribute to George D. Montoya at this Friday’s match against St. Mary’s. Montoya passed away from a sudden heart attack last April.
He was the father of current Lobo player Rachel Montoya and was an avid Lobo Soccer supporter. He attended nearly every game during Rachel’s freshman and sophomore seasons.
“What a great man he was,” head coach Kit Vela said. “Honestly, every game is going to be important for him and for us. He was at every home game and nearly every away game. He wasn’t just Rachel’s dad, he was one of our biggest fans, and Friday night is big, but I think that this whole season will be for him.”
Friday’s game will be the first one Rachel has played without her dad watching from the stands.
She said it is going to be different without him there, but she is thankful for her team’s support during the tough time.
“It’s really important,” she said. “This is my first season without my dad, so there will be a lot of nerves and emotions. It means the world to me to have my teammates, though … This whole time they have not been just my team but my family since this has happened.”
Rachel’s older brother Donnie Montoya said her dad would have wanted her to keep playing.
“He was so supportive of all of us, and he was a diehard Lobo fan, and it’s great to see all of the support being given back to him,” he said.
Since last April the team has rallied around Rachel.
“She knows her dad has left her in a good place,” Vela said. “She has an extended family with all the girls, and from the moment he passed everyone here has been with her. It’s important to her to know that she is important to this program as a person and as a player.”
George Montoya worked at UNM for over 30 years in the science research department. Before he passed he was the manager of the human tissue repository laboratory.
Get content from The Daily Lobo delivered to your inbox
He was also a passionate fan of and season ticket holder for men’s basketball for 30 years.
The Montoya family founded the George D. Montoya Research Scholarship Fund to honor George Montoya’s dedication to education at UNM.
“He was very into education,” Donnie Montoya said. “He helped a lot at the University, and when I was a kid he always told me how important school was, and this scholarship will help someone get an education.”
Women’s Soccer vs. Saint Mary’s
Friday
7 p.m.
University Stadium
