Stella Saliman (’29) dribbles the ball during a match against Oakwood School Dec. 2. Saliman said she has enjoyed soccer from a young age, and consistently attends practices and games. “Especially being a young woman I love that she just puts her whole body, her whole heart, fearlessly into the game,” Saliman’s mother Bree Turner said. (Photo by Archer Athletics)

Spectators and teammates watch as the varsity soccer match unfolds on the field. Twenty-two players on a field at once may seem confusing, but from dribbling the ball to doing hat tricks, this player is able to support her team through it. On the right wing is #5, Stella Saliman (’29).

Saliman was 3 years old when she began playing soccer, often playing in the backyard with her parents or nanny, who was a high school soccer player and encouraged Saliman to run drills with her. She started playing competitively at 10 years old with the American Youth Soccer Organization, then switched to her current club, the Culver City Football Club, at age 15. While continuing her commitment to CCFC, Saliman joined Archer’s soccer team in eighth grade and now plays on the varsity team as a freshman.

Soccer has been a large part of Saliman’s life, inside and outside each season. Teammate Mara Krauss (’29) said Saliman’s freshman goal was to earn a spot in the varsity soccer team.

“In HD, we all made goals at the beginning of the semester, and both of us made it a goal to make Varsity soccer,” Krauss said. “So, every time we have a class, we write down our updates, and we’re both working hard to work towards that goal.” 

Teammate Kenzy Cardenas-Elena (’29) said Saliman frequently attends team practices. This helps develop her skills to get ready for matches. Another way Saliman prepares is by doing pre-game exercises.

“I’ve stretched before games, and I also mentally prepare a lot,” Saliman said. “Just get my head in the game and make sure that I’m ready to play and not thinking about other things.”

Cardenas said Saliman consistently tries to do her best to get time on the field and to help improve the team during matches.

“During games, I noticed that she’s always working hard to make sure she gets playing time, so she shows up to practice, and she has a very positive attitude on the field and off the field,” Cardenas said. “She’s very desperate to play because she wants to better our team or make sure our team is working hard.”

Krauss described how Saliman communicates with her teammates during games to keep everyone on track.

“She also does a very good job with communicating,” Krauss said, “making sure everyone’s doing their job, while also making sure that she’s doing her job as well.”

During matches, Cardenas said Saliman maintains strong sportsmanship. Saliman’s father, Justin Saliman, said she has a strong competitive spirit.

“We say she goes into beast mode, where she goes out and just gets very dominant, in a friendly way,” Justin Saliman said. “She’s never hard on the other players, but she’ll run faster, and she’ll be everywhere all at once, and she’ll make it happen. She’s super aggressive.”

Saliman’s mother, Bree Turner, said she was surprised to see this side of her daughter, which she did not know of prior to seeing her play in a game.

“I was a little bit slow to keep up and discover … the side of Stella, but I am so impressed by it, because she turns into this different person on the field,” Turner said. “She’s super. She’s just fearless.”

Justin Saliman and Turner said they also see their daughter’s devotion through what she is willing to sacrifice for the sport. For example, Saliman waited several years for a double ear piercing, which she finally got this past winter break. However, in a game against Brentwood School, the referee said that if she did not remove the earrings, she would not be allowed to play.

“These were earrings that were from the piercer, so they had the lock in the back, and they weren’t just a regular earring you could take out easily,” Turner said. “She called me. She was in a panic. And I said, ‘Well, thinking that the piercings were going to be kind of the most important thing in the conversation, she was like, ‘Mom, I’m ripping them out. I don’t care. I’ve got to play.'”

Throughout her experience in soccer, Saliman said she has learned many lessons that she takes to the field to help her play. She shared advice for how to remain calm during games.

“Have confidence in playing,” Saliman said. “Always be very grounded with the ball and not panic.”