Mak Owens

GK #27🧤 LMU ‘31. TBU U19 ECNL

[Mak Owens @Mak_keeper27]

I am so beyond excited to announce my commitment to Loyola Marymount University to spend the next 4 years of my athletic and academic career. GO LIONS🦁🩵❤️ #committed #d1 #wcc #keeper @lmulionsWSOC @UnitedFA_ECNL

[UFA ECNL @UnitedFA_ECNL]

𝑪𝑶𝑴𝑴𝑰𝑻𝑻𝑬𝑫‼️👏
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​Congratulations to 𝐌𝐚𝐤 𝐎𝐰𝐞𝐧𝐬 (09G ECNL) on her commitment earlier this year to 𝐋𝐨𝐲𝐨𝐥𝐚 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐲𝐦𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭 𝐔𝐧𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐲‼️Way to go Mak! Your UFA family is proud of you! #united4life #UFAECNL #SheIsUnited

[UFA ECNL @UnitedFA_ECNL]

Congratulations to 09G ECNL and Coach Iggy on winning their first match at ECNL Playoffs! Next match will be on Sunday vs Legends FC San Diego! Good luck ladies! #unitedfa #UFAECNL #ECNLGirls #SheIsUnited

[UFA ECNL @UnitedFA_ECNL]

𝗘𝗖𝗡𝗟 𝗣𝗟𝗔𝗬𝗢𝗙𝗙𝗦‼️
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​ECNL Girls Playoffs kick off tomorrow in Seattle! Our 09G are competing in the Champions League and play Minnesota Thunder on Saturday at 8:00am. Next match will be finalized after Saturday’s match. #united4life #UFAECNL #SheIsUnited

[ECNL Girls @ECNLgirls]

Every generation has its No. 10.

In 1️⃣0️⃣ days, the chase for an ECNL Girls National Championship begins.

#ECNL #ECNLplayoffs

[Mak Owens @Mak_keeper27]

@CLaurendi23 @FreddyLA7 I’m in too! I’m in town I’ll jump in a pick up!

[Mak Owens @Mak_keeper27]

@FreddyLA7 You are our German Ted Lasso!!! The positivity and wonder you have brought have made us all so happy.

[LMU Women's Soccer @lmulionsWSOC]

Mark your calendars and claim your seats!

Season tickets available now⬇️
https://t.co/7JEr92Srhs

[Mak Owens @Mak_keeper27]

So honored to have been named to the @FHSAA 1A All State team and MVP for my high school soccer team @SSESFalcons

[Mak Owens @Mak_keeper27]

#NewProfilePic

[Mak Owens @Mak_keeper27]

@ProvenSports @CLaurendi23 1) tell me something truly unique about your school
2) where did you see me play and what made me stand out to you?

[Mak Owens @Mak_keeper27]

@ToriChrist_01 @MSUCoachRomo @MSU_wsoccer Congrats Coach!!!!!

[DK🇺🇸🦅🇺🇸 @1Nicdar]

130 schools said no.
He led the losingest program in college football history to a national championship anyway.
Fernando Mendoza was a 2-star recruit from Miami.

He tried to walk on at his hometown school. They passed.
So did FIU.
So did FAU.
So did everyone else.

At 17, he was sitting in his bedroom, crying over a silent recruiting inbox—after driving to 18 camps with his dad and sending highlights to more than 100 programs.
Not one FBS offer.
His only option? Yale. No scholarship. No NFL path.

Everyone told him to be “realistic.”
“Know your place.”
“Be grateful.”
He didn’t listen.
Because Mendoza understood something most people miss:
The worst outcome isn’t failing.
It’s never getting the chance to try.

Two weeks before signing day in 2022, his phone rang.
Cal needed a body. One offer. Out of 134 schools.
He took it.
He arrived as the third-string quarterback.
Spent a year on the scout team.
Lost his first four starts.
Got sacked 41 times behind a broken offensive line.

Still got up. Every time.
Then Cal brought in a transfer instead of building around him.
So Mendoza left the only school that had ever said yes.
He transferred to Indiana—the losingest program in college football history.

People laughed.
“Career suicide.”
“Graveyard program.”
“Nobody wins there.”
One coach told him something different:
“I’m going to make you the best Fernando Mendoza possible.”
That was enough.
Mendoza wasn’t just playing for football.
His mother has battled multiple sclerosis for 18 years.

Before every snap, he thought of her.
“My mother is my why.”
Indiana went 16–0.
Beat six Top-10 teams.
Won their first Big Ten title since 1945.
Mendoza threw 41 touchdowns.
Won the Heisman—first in school history.
First Cuban-American to ever do it.

Then came the title game.
Miami. Near his hometown.
Fourth-and-4. Season on the line.
Quarterback draw.
The kid 134 schools rejected spun through defenders and dove into the end zone.

Game over.
Indiana—national champions.
The losingest program became the best team in America.
All because a 17-year-old refused to believe “no” was the end.

Rankings don’t decide your ceiling.
Gatekeepers don’t write your ending.
Being overlooked isn’t a verdict—it’s a starting point.

Sometimes all you need is one shot…
and the courage to bet on yourself when nobody else will.
Don’t quit.

Credit: Barclay Mullins

[Mak Owens @Mak_keeper27]

@CoachSeve @PennWSoccer Excited to see you soon Coach!!

[UFA ECNL @UnitedFA_ECNL]

𝗘𝗖𝗡𝗟 𝗙𝗟𝗢𝗥𝗜𝗗𝗔‼️ ☀️✈️🏝️
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​Our ECNL and ECNL RL teams are heading to sunny Florida for their first event of 2026! ECNL RL teams kick off on Friday in Sanford and ECNL teams start play on Saturday at Lakewood Ranch. Good luck to all the teams!

[Mak Owens @Mak_keeper27]

Great weekend of soccer @ecnlgirls KC showcase. Had some great conversations with coaches! And had some fun playing with my @unitedfa_ecnl team. Thank you to the coaches, refs, parents and scouts for braving the temps to watch us play!

[Mak Owens @Mak_keeper27]

@MollyPoletto @margaozasa Congrats Coach!!!!!!

[Mak Owens @Mak_keeper27]

@kaularowe Great to see you in Phoenix @kaularowe thank you so much for coming out!

[UFA ECNL @UnitedFA_ECNL]

���𝐂𝐍𝐋 𝐏𝐇𝐎𝐄𝐍𝐈𝐗‼️⚽️
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​Our 09G ECNL team is in Phoenix and ready to play! Good luck ladies! #united4life #UFAECNL

[Mak Owens @Mak_keeper27]

@ImYouthSoccer