Soccer Soul Sisters

When Alliyah Rosales sat beside Kendra Delgado on the first day of sixth grade, the two girls shared more than their Dalton, Georgia, hometown. 

“I think our first conversation was over soccer,” Rosales recounts that moment like it was yesterday. “I remember coming to class. I was really scared, but there was a seat by Kendra and I sat there.”

Both girls were on the same middle school soccer team, accounting for two of the three sixth graders on the roster. That meant they would be seeing a whole lot more of each other during the year.

“From there we were best buds,” states Rosales.

That connection continues as sophomore members of the nationally ranked Georgia Gwinnett College women’s soccer team. They played a significant role in the Grizzlies’ 2025 Continental Athletic Conference tournament title squad during their first collegiate season.

Rosales scored five goals and contributed four assists across 21 matches last fall. Meanwhile, Delgado chipped in four goals and provided four assists in 20 matches.

Their contributions and games have grown even more this season, with Rosales netting a pair of goals and Delgado distributing two assists. They teamed up for a goal – Delgado assisting on Rosales’ goal – in GGC’s season-opening 4-0 triumph against Montreat College (North Carolina) on August 22.

Their journey to Lawrenceville began on the pitch in Dalton at a young age.

Delgado was five years old when she joined her first soccer league. 

“I saw a lot of my cousins growing up playing soccer. I spent a lot of time with them, and they all played soccer, so I kind of grew up with the sport.” 

The Delgados and the Rosaleses are soccer fanatic families living in a city that’s notorious for the sport that’s growing in popularity across America. Dalton has earned the Soccer Town USA nickname after five separate high schools captured boys state championships in the same season. However, the community didn’t have any all-girls youth soccer leagues, and that impacted both youths and their approach to playing the game.

Similarly, Rosales also was influenced by males in her family in the style of game she plays, though she joined her first league a bit later than Delgado. 

“I think I started taking it seriously when I was about nine years old. My dad enrolled me into his recreational league and I really liked it,” states Rosales. 

She also was learning to play the game alongside boys.

“I think for me, I'm more of a skill-oriented person and I think that’s something I definitely learned while playing with guys. My brother would train me every single day, as well as playing with my dad,” says Rosales, who looks up to her younger brother as a mentor.

Now, the two girls have been playing on the same teams for eight consecutive years, creating a strong personal bond that can be found on and off the pitch – Rosales as a forward, Delgado as a midfielder. 

Delgado adds, “I definitely see her as my winger, even when I feel a forward is more daring. They’ll take people one on one. She’s more daring than I am. She’ll take more risks than I do but pulls me along and takes me a little bit out of my comfort zone.” 

Off the playing field the longtime teammates are roommates on the GGC campus.

“I’ll do anything and everything in my world to hype Kendra up. Like, I’ll dance around her, play music,” Rosales states. 

Meanwhile, Delgado takes a logical mindset to their friendship. 

“I try to help her see the good things that she did (in a match) and not just playing attention to the things she believes she’s messed up on,” she says. 

Both players desired to continue their soccer careers in college, but not necessary in the same program – or at GGC, which has established a national reputation within the NAIA, making nine straight national tournament appearances and winning four CAC titles in the past five seasons.

Head Coach Dr. Mike Giuliano reached out to Rosales and she attended a tryout on campus. She committed to becoming a Grizzly the next week and then put a good word for her best friend.

 “I actually told (Coach Giuliano) that I had a friend who was way better than me. He didn’t believe me at first but came to see us play in a high school game. Now, he praises me every single day for introducing Kendra to him.” 

It didn’t take long for Delgado to decide to also join the GGC program. 

“You get a feel for how the team is. I loved how competitive the players were, and I loved how much they actually took the game seriously and wanted to grow,” she remarks.

Later, she adds, “We want to do something more.” 

That means using their lifelong friendship on and off the pitch to help the Grizzlies achieve their team goals this season.