That’s Kim.

“She really loves competing, and she’s very conscious of when she plays well and when she doesn’t; she’s always working to get better,” Cuellar said.

Mexico’s coach recalls a moment revealing Rodriguez’ competitive nature during a U-17 qualifying tournament in Granada in a match pitting Mexico against the United States.

“Kim went up and headed a ball on a corner kick, and she hit her teeth on the back of the head of one of the U.S. players and her tooth was bent back into her mouth,” Cuellar said. “It was right before halftime so the doctor came over and said that we had to take her out, and she said, ‘No way, I’m not coming out of the game!’ She ended up playing the whole game with the broken tooth.

“She’s just one of those that’s very competitive, never wants to leave the field, wants to play the full time every game. That’s Kim.”

Carmichael concurred.

“You see her laid-back demeanor off the field, and you can see that in certain aspects of her game — she’s very composed, she doesn’t get rattled, she doesn’t get flustered, when she’s under pressure she doesn’t give the ball away easily,” Carmichael said. “But she does have that competitive streak that you probably wouldn’t realize if you sat and talked to her — she’s just a very humble, quiet, easy going kid. But on the field, in that environment, she’s trying to win.

“If we’re playing a four vs. four game in practice and she’s in there, she’s getting after it. She wants to win — she does not like losing! Some kids yell and scream and act like they really care, but you can tell it means a lot to Kim.

“That drives you — when you’re that competitive, it shows when you play.”

That need to succeed is also what makes Rodriguez capable of competing at a high level for both the Cowgirls and Mexico while also juggling the demands of college academia. Soccer training is nearly year round at OSU while the requirements of the national team call for numerous training camps and tournaments throughout the year. Throw in a full college course load, and it all seems daunting.

“I don’t know how some of these kids do it — it’s got to be a really difficult grind,” Carmichael said. “They get great support from Agatha (Adams) and her staff (in OSU Athletics Academic Services), and most of the professors are very supportive when they hear what they’re doing — they understand how big a deal that is athletically. And nowadays with online classes, it makes it a lot easier than it was 15-20 years ago to keep up with school work.

“There’s no doubt you have to be organized and manage your time properly to make sure you can keep up with everything and do school and soccer at a high level.”

“Having that culture of being able to combine studying and playing soccer at a high level is very impressive,” Cuellar said.

“It’s something that people need to notice more — that level of commitment it takes to succeed in both areas is not easy.

“And now for Kim entering into the full national team and the level that will be at, it takes even more commitment from her.”

For Rodriguez, the hectic soccer/student-athlete life is something she simply takes in stride with her usual ho-hum, unflappable attitude and demeanor.

“It’s definitely not easy, but this is what I want to do so you just work at focusing on what you need to do on and off the field and get it done,” Rodriguez said.

Rodriguez has lofty goals and aspirations. With two more years at OSU, she wants to lead the Cowgirls back to the top of the Big 12 and deep into the NCAA Tournament. Beyond that, ideally a professional soccer career awaits. And most of all, continued growth within the Mexico National Team, with sights on World Cups, Olympics and international success.

One of Rodriguez’ biggest joys is playing for Mexico, and the pride it brings herself and her family. While her mother hails from Costa Rica and her father, like Kim, is a native Texan, Rodriguez’ paternal grandparents are from Mexico.

“All my family loves it — they think it’s so awesome to see me out there representing Mexico, and there’s a lot of pride there,” Rodriguez said. “I consider myself Mexican so I feel like I’m playing for my country.

“It’s a special feeling to put on that jersey. You get excited and nervous when you start singing that national anthem knowing what it means to be a part of that.”

While Mexico missed out on this year’s World Cup, Rodriguez is part of a transitioning national team with a strong nucleus of younger players who have climbed through the ranks of the Mexican youth system and are poised to put the country on the international soccer map.

“Our goal is to try and make it better — we want to play in the World Cup, the Olympics, get Mexico on the highest stage with the best teams in the world,” Rodriguez said.

To that end, Rodriguez is chasing the dream of being next in the line of OSU standouts to make a name for themselves at the women’s national team level, a list that includes AD Franch (United States), Courtney Dike (Nigeria), Kathrin Lehmann (Sweden) and Coumba Sow (Switzerland).

“It’s amazing, just as a soccer fan … every kid dreams of putting on your national team jersey,” Carmichael said. “Kids like Kim are getting to live out their dream and when you get to see that, you’re just so happy for them because they’re so excited. And as a coach, you like to think you gave them a platform to showcase their skills. You feel a lot of pride that their pathway came through Oklahoma State and if you played any sort of small part to get them to where they want to be, you’re just so happy for them.

“I’ve become a huge Mexico fan now — I want them to go to World Cups and Olympics, and if Kim could be part of that, it’d be pretty special.”