For Diego Garciarena, soccer and home have always been intertwined.
Long before he became William & Mary's starting goalkeeper, before college soccer brought him thousands of miles from Paraguay to the United States and before his journey eventually led him to Williamsburg, Garciarena was a kid following his father to the stadium.
His family was surrounded by sports. His father, Emilio Garciarena, worked as an athletic trainer for Cerro Porteño, one of Paraguay's most prominent soccer clubs, and now works with the Paraguayan national team. For Diego, that meant an early introduction to a game that occupies a special place in his country's culture.
He quickly fell in love with it.
"The atmosphere and the passion the fans have back home impacted me from the time I was a little kid," Garciarena said. "From a very young age, I knew that was what I wanted to be. I wanted to be a soccer player, or at least try to be one."
Now a senior goalkeeper for the Tribe, Garciarena has built a collegiate career far from his hometown of Asunción, Paraguay.
But home has never been far from him.
As William & Mary celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month and prepares for its Hispanic Heritage Match against Elon on Saturday at Martin Family Stadium at Albert-Daly Field, Garciarena's journey is a reminder of the people, places and culture that student-athletes carry with them wherever the game takes them.
Falling in Love With the Game
Garciarena's career in goal actually began with an attempt to avoid running.
He started playing soccer around age 10 or 11 and initially lined up as a striker. Bigger than many of the other kids his age, he discovered he could score simply by striking the ball as hard as he could.
There was only one problem.
He did not particularly enjoy all the running that came with playing up front.
"I tried goalkeeper once, and I was scoring from my own goal because I could kick the ball the full length of the field," Garciarena said. "I thought, 'OK, I can still score goals and not run, so goalkeeper might be a good idea.'"
The plan did not quite work as expected.
"I don't think I've scored a goal ever since, so that went a little sideways," he joked.
What Garciarena did discover was a position that fit him.
He embraced the personality, responsibility and leadership required of a goalkeeper. From the back, he could see the entire field and communicate with teammates at every level of the formation.
As he grew older and accumulated more experience, that responsibility became an increasingly important part of his game.
"The more games you play, the older you get and the more experiences you have, the more it helps develop that leadership," Garciarena said. "It makes you improve as a player and helps you contribute to the team in areas beyond just being the goalkeeper."
A Piece of Paraguay
Growing up in Asunción shaped Garciarena well beyond the soccer field.
He describes Paraguay as a small, tight-knit country and its people as warm and welcoming. Life there moves differently than what he has experienced since coming to the United States.
"Every time I go back, it feels like I'm in another world," Garciarena said. "Everything is five times slower. Everyone takes their time and is more patient."
That contrast was one of the first things he noticed after moving to the United States.
Here, he found a faster pace. There were classes, practices, meetings, games and deadlines. Back home, he said, life afforded more opportunities to slow down and reconnect.
Most importantly, there are the people.
"The people are great," Garciarena said. "They're super warm, and they show their love for you. Even if you're not from the country and you're just visiting, they're going to make you feel like you belong there.
"It's always nice to go back, feel that warmth from the people again and remember where you came from."
That connection carries added meaning while Garciarena spends much of the year more than 4,000 miles from home.
He misses the food. He misses his friends.
More than anything, he misses his family.
Yet leaving them behind was part of a decision that changed the direction of his life.
Taking a Chance
At 19, Garciarena was the third-choice goalkeeper for a professional first-division club in Paraguay.
Those around him told him he had a future with the club, but Garciarena could see the obstacle in front of him. The starting goalkeepers he was competing against had more than a decade of experience on him.
"I couldn't add 15 years of experience overnight," he said.
Meanwhile, his best friend had left Paraguay a year earlier to play college soccer in the United States and spoke highly of the opportunities available.
Garciarena talked with his parents and those closest to him. If things did not work out, he knew Paraguay would still be there.
So he took the chance.
"It was about taking the next step and starting the next adventure in my life," Garciarena said. "I also felt like I needed it at that point to grow as a person."
The transition was not always comfortable.
Garciarena spent his first two collegiate seasons at South Florida, where he learned how to live independently for the first time. He had to manage his schedule, become more responsible and adjust to being away from his parents, friends and culture.
He also quickly learned not to underestimate American college soccer.
"I came to the U.S. thinking the level was going to be inferior to what I had experienced in Paraguay, but that was far from the truth," Garciarena said. "At USF, I had teammates who had played in European academies and World Cups with their national teams. The level was really high."
The experience taught him patience and reinforced something his career had already demanded repeatedly: keep working.
Finding His Opportunity
That work eventually led Garciarena to Saint Francis (Pa.).
After not appearing in a match during his two seasons at South Florida, he entered the transfer portal looking for an opportunity.
Saint Francis gave him one.
"They trusted me even though I didn't have a single college game under my belt," Garciarena said.
He rewarded that trust.
Garciarena started 14 matches during the 2025 season and was named the Northeast Conference Goalkeeper of the Year and earned All-NEC First Team honors. He recorded 64 saves, a .780 save percentage and five shutouts, including a career-high 13 saves in a 1-0 victory over FDU.
The experience also forced him into a new role.
With a young roster built largely from scratch, Garciarena became one of the older players on the team. He was no longer simply trying to earn his opportunity. He was being asked to help others navigate theirs.
By the time he entered the transfer portal again, he was a proven college goalkeeper.
William & Mary goalkeeper coach Tyler Doll wasted little time reaching out.
"He reached out to me within the first two hours I was in the portal," Garciarena said.
W&M was not initially at the top of Garciarena's list, but the more he learned, the more the pieces came together.
Academically, William & Mary offered him confidence that he could navigate the complexities of transferring credits and graduate from a highly regarded institution. Athletically, Garciarena saw Doll as a coach who could continue preparing him for his goal of playing professionally.
Doll remained in contact throughout the process, sharing film and information and building a relationship with Garciarena.
"He definitely made the decision easier," Garciarena said.
Make an Impact in Williamsburg
It has not taken Garciarena long to make his presence felt in the Green and Gold.
Through William & Mary's first 10 matches, he has played nearly every minute in goal, recording 41 saves with a .707 save percentage. He owns a 5-4-1 record with two shutouts for a Tribe side that has won three of its last four matches.
His first W&M clean sheet came in a 2-0 CAA victory over Charleston on Sept. 5. The performance helped Garciarena earn CAA Defensive Player of the Week honors.
"It was really nice to get that award, not only for me but for the entire team," Garciarena said. "Getting a shutout at home in conference play is always very important, and in college soccer, it's very hard to do that."
It also provided a boost after Garciarena felt he had more to give during the opening weeks of the season.
"Winning that award and getting the shutout against Charleston definitely gave me that boost of confidence again," he said.
A few weeks later, Garciarena added another.
He stopped all four shots on goal Tuesday afternoon as W&M earned a 1-0 victory at American, giving him his second shutout with the Tribe and the seventh of his collegiate career.
The win improved William & Mary to 5-4-1 and continued a stretch in which the Tribe has won three of four.
For Garciarena, the numbers are part of a larger goal.
"We feel like we're doing a really good job and that there has been improvement from past years," he said. "The group is very confident that we can achieve great things this season."
Remembering Where He Came From
Garciarena does not know exactly where soccer will take him next.
He wants to play professionally after college. If that opportunity does not come, he hopes to remain involved in the sport, potentially in management or event organization.
He would like to stay in the United States, although he is open to playing elsewhere if an opportunity presents itself.
There is comfort in knowing that no matter where he goes, Asunción remains home.
"My family and friends are going to be there forever," Garciarena said. "I know I have a safe place if I need to go back."
For now, his journey continues in Williamsburg.
And as William & Mary celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month, Garciarena carries with him the warmth of the people who raised him, the passion for soccer he discovered as a child and the culture he learned to appreciate even more after leaving it behind.
Three schools and thousands of miles after taking that chance on college soccer in the United States, Garciarena believes he has found the right place for this chapter.
"I'm really happy to be here," Garciarena said. "It was not an easy choice, but looking back, I don't regret it a single bit. I think I'm in the right place, and the people and the community around here have made me feel like I belong here from day one.
"It's awesome."
