South Hills Girls' Soccer Star Breaks National Record

A Fort Worth girls' soccer player kicked her way into the national record books Thursday.

Esmie Gonzales, a senior at South Hills High School, had already owned the Texas state record for goals scored, which was 185.

In a game Thursday against Trimble Tech, she shattered the national mark that had stood for 23 years.

"It's just my passion," Esmie said.

And she has a knack for getting the ball into the net.

"Oh yeah, when I get my chance, I'm gone like, 'whoosh,' going out," she said, about her scoring prowess.

It's something she's done a few times in her four varsity years at South Hills.

"Her freshman year, she scored 77 goals," said her coach, Jamie Southern.

Going into Thursday's game, Esmie stood exactly 100 goals ahead of the prior state record, at 285 goals. That was one shy of the national record that, according to Rivals.com, was set between 1989-93 by Erin Martin of Temple City, Calif., a Los Angeles suburb.

Though she needed one goal to tie the national record, and Thursday night Esmie scored nine goals to lead South Hills over Trimble Tech, 10-0.

"I can't believe it either, but it's amazing," Esmie said.

Esmie scored barely a minute into the game.

A short time later, she was knocked over and got a penalty kick.

She nailed it on the upper right side to break the record.

An administrator presented her with a certificate marking her accomplishment.

"I'm really happy," she said. "Thank you all."

Southern said she's one-of-a-kind when she has the ball at her feet. It usually leads the crowd to their feet as well. This year has been more difficult, though, as she's dealing with double-teams from opponents. He also said there's pressure chasing the record, but she's handled it beyond her years.

"She's just confident, confident with the ball at her feet," Southern said. "She's not scared of anyone, she knows she can beat anyone at any given time."

She can even beat him, he'll admit.

"When I play with her, I'm like, 'Is this girl better than me?'" Southern joked. "I finally admitted it this year, but she's just phenomenal."

But Esmie knows she couldn't do this alone.

"My teammates, I love them," she said. "They're the ones that help me, and they even know that it's a big accomplishment for me. But I couldn't do it without them."

With five games left in the season, Esmie now has an even higher goal.

"Yeah, 300 is not that far, but I just got to keep playing like I do, and whatever number I land on, I land on," she said.

The senior captain is next heading to Southeast Missouri State University on an athletic scholarship.

"That's my dream, to go to college and play," she said.

She also dreams of making the U.S. Women's National Team, but first things first, she has her eyes on the record and the playoffs.

"It is nice to have your name up there and everything, it really is," Esmie said. "It makes me happy."

NBC 5's Scott Gordon contributed to this report.