It's an action Lady Rams forward Jessica Carrion is very familiar with, both on and off the soccer field. On the field, she uses it to get past defenders to score a goal. Off the field, it took her across the globe and influenced her life.

     Carrion's on-field endeavor has allowed the junior from Western Hills High School to establish the school record for career points with 138. In 2003, the exercise and sport studies major used the same maxim to score 29 goals; breaking the school record of 25 goals she set in 2002.

     "I'm proud, but I couldn't do it without my teammates," Carrion said.

     "I think this has to be one of the best squads ever since I've been here. I think this is the best team," she said.

     "What Jay brings to us and our team is her athleticism. Obviously people watching the game can tell she's got speed," Steve Jones, Head Coach, said.

     Carrion has used her athleticism and quickness to score eight goals, five assists and one game-winning goal this season.

     "She creates so many opportunities for us to score. She does thing you can't teach," Jones said.

     The Lady Rams have capitalized on those opportunities by outscoring their opponents 28-16.

     Long before Carrion scooted across Martin Field, she scooted across the world courtesy of the U.S. Army. The daughter of retired Sgt. Maj. Sixto Carrion, Sr. and wife Melissa, Carrion's family moved every three years. Carrion's journeys began in her hometown, Louisville, Ky.

     "I was like, maybe 3 years old when they moved. I don't even remember Kentucky," she said.

     By the time Carrion was a high school freshman, her family had lived in two countries and four states.

     "We moved six or seven times. We lived in Kentucky, Tennessee, Germany, Texas [once] before, [and] Panama," Carrion said.

     Besides the aforementioned places, Oakland Calif., also served as Carrion's home. It is also her favorite locale among her travels.

     But it is in Panama, when she was 10 years old, that Carrion first embraced playing soccer. An embrace that would eventually steer her away from one sport to her true "passion."

     Carrion credits Sixto Jr., her younger brother, for inspiring her to play soccer. "My brother first started playing and that's what made me want to play," she said.

     Despite the frequent relocations, Carrion's desire for soccer flourished. She sharpened her skills by playing for a local team until it was time to move once again.

     "When we'd move, I'd just find another team and play for them," she said.

     Carrion participated in track and field and soccer her freshman year in high school. She lettered in the former that year and lettered in the latter the following three years.

     "I did all the sprints, relays and long jump," she said.

     She made the decision to forego track and field for soccer in her sophomore year.

     Carrion said, "I mean, I love track, I'd do it now, but I think soccer is what I'm supposed to do."

     Carrion acknowledged that her parents have always bolstered her decision to play soccer. In fact, her father was her first soccer coach.

     "He's never played, but it looks [like] he's played forever cause he knows so much about the game.
"He helped me a lot; so did my mom with support," she said.

     Although the frequent moving allowed Carrion to discover her sport, it also took its toll on her relationships. With each relocation, Carrion said goodbye to her friends.

     "It was real tough making friends. It was tough cause it's like, you get there, you make friends then you're just like, 'OK, I'm about to leave these friends,'" she said.

     Carrion said she keeps in touch with two friends in California. Now that she's in college and her father has retired, Carrion looks forward to making lasting relationships.

     "I know I won't be moving; it makes me want to build a friendship a lot stronger than when my dad was in the military," she said.

     Foremost among those lasting relationships are the Lady Rams. Carrion said that when they're not on the field, they can be found on the dance floor or just having fun.

     "I adore every single one of them. And we're all close like sisters," she said.

     Besides building lasting friendships, Carrion also has other goals to accomplish. The first one is earning her degree.

     The second is playing professionally.

     "I don't know if I'll make it. But I do plan on it," she said.

     Her other goal is coaching, beginning at the high school level in the FWISD, then onto the college ranks.

     Carrion said, "I plan on going back to the district I went to school in to coach and teach. Probably when I'm older [I'll coach at a college], but right now I just want to start off in high school."

     With many miles behind her and more ahead, Carrion knows very well what she must do to achieve her goals. And that is to keep moving.