College soccer: Odessa's Franco wraps up UTPB career

When Raul Franco takes to the pitch today, it will be with a mixture of excitement and disap-pointment.

As one of the best players the city of Odessa has ever produced, the UTPB senior most likely will be playing competitive soccer for the last time when the Falcons play host to Eastern New Mexico at 1 p.m. at Falcon Field

“There is sadness and disappointment because it is the last competitive game ever,” Franco said, “besides pickup games on the weekends with my friends.”

But Franco shouldn’t be sad.

He has helped turn a struggling NAIA program into a solid NCAA Division II team.

He helped lead UTPB to a Red River Athletic Conference title in 2005 and has been a team cap-tain during his junior and senior years.

For that, Franco will be missed in the program.

“He will be one of my all time favorites,” UTPB coach Dennis Peterson said. “I’ll be sad to see him go.”

Franco has dominated the defensive side of the ball throughout his career, and Peterson has let him push toward the front whenever he wants this season. It has resulted in four goals and an as-sist, rare for a defender.

“He has a wife and a child, yet he has been able to juggle that with playing soccer and going to school,” Peterson said. “He works so hard every year, and he has been a joy to be around.”

While Franco is a defender and is not lauded with as much praise as a striker, he still stands out for more than outstanding play or his 6-foot-3 frame. It is difficult to miss him because of his bright green shoes — a tradition dating to his playing days at Odessa High.

“I like to be different and stand out,” Franco said. “I’m always running the whole field, and eve-ryone starts recognizing you because of your shoes. You are not just another player.”

While the shoes help him stand out, it is definitely his play that caught the eye of Peterson when he was recruiting Franco.

Franco had offers to go elsewhere, but he chose UTPB because of the cheaper cost of his educa-tion and because he stayed close to his family.

Peterson also offered him something that most schools couldn’t.

“When I talked to him, I gave him the scenario of being a big fish in a little pond here, whereas he would be a little fish in a big pond elsewhere,” Peterson said. “He would start and be a big im-pact player, and he’s been that since he’s been here.”

As far as whether or not Franco is the best player to ever come out of Odessa, the player and the coach had differing opinions.

“I really don’t like to see myself like that,” Franco said. “There are a lot of great players. I don’t think I’m the best.”

Peterson disagreed.

“If he’s not the best ever to come out of Odessa, he is one of them,” the coach said. “We’ve had some really good kids, but he’s a special player and has been since he was a little kid.”

That is why there is both sadness and excitement surrounding today’s match.