In two seasons at Villanova, Rafael Ponce de León barely saw the field, collecting only three appearances with the team. The New Jersey native appreciated the team’s camaraderie and the comfort of playing closer to home, but something didn’t click. He felt out of place, struggling to find his footing beyond the pitch.
However, Ponce de León immediately stood out after transferring to Northwestern in 2024, starting 16 games last fall and sporting a 66.1% save percentage and five shutouts. Born in Mexico
City and raised in Pennington, his passion for soccer began when his grandfather pulled him from a tennis lesson and brought him to the pitch instead. With the joy of the game that he nurtured since childhood, he is fueled with confidence and leadership heading into his senior year.
“My goal is to have at least seven clean sheets,” he said. “But I think the most important part is growing as a leader of the team.”
Ponce de León credited his parents, Monica Saldivar and Rafael Ponce de León Treviño, who drove him to practices and games. They invested both time and resources in his development.
“I’m extremely fortunate with the parents that I have,” Ponce de León said. “I think the only reason they were able to motivate me is because they saw how hungry I was for it.”
Under his parents’ support, Ponce de León was a four-year starting goalkeeper at the Pennington School, compiling a 44-12-2 record with clean sheets in 51% of his matches. He was a two-time All-State honorable mention and selected as a 2021 High School All-American. At the club level, he was named the U17 MLS NEXT Best Goalkeeper, helping the PDA MLS NEXT team advance to the league final during the 2020-21 season.
Although Ponce de León picked Villanova as his next step following a prolific high school career, he realized after two seasons that the program was just not the right fit for him. He then decided to make the move to the Midwest, transferring to Northwestern.
When Ponce de León arrived in Evanston, he was immediately drawn to head coach Russell Payne’s straightforward approach. Payne made it clear that nothing would be handed to the goalie, but every opportunity would be earned. The clear message from the coach motivated Ponce de León during the spring, who capitalized on every training session before his debut 2024 season at Northwestern.
“Coach Russ is an honest guy,” Ponce de León said. “There’s no complacency, that’s something that we don’t believe in here. And that’s what he told me from the start.”
While striving for a starting position, Ponce de León also trained with Northwestern assistant coach JR DeRose in goalkeeping. Although Ponce de León arrived with solid skills, both he and DeRose recognized that handling crosses was an area needing improvement. To help, DeRose organized training sessions where Ponce de León faced hundreds of crosses from different angles, speeds, and heights, while placing other goalkeepers into the penalty area to give pressure. Ponce de León, who is 6-foot-3 and views his size as the biggest asset, was able to withstand that contact.
DeRose also believed that Ponce de León’s limited on-field action at Villanova added to the goalie’s weaknesses. However, Ponce de León’s summer duty with Jackson Lions FC helped out. Joining in 2023, he competed with the hometown team in the National Premier Soccer League (NPSL). In a league composed of college players and former pros, he had excelled as one of the top goalkeepers.
“He’s got a lot of minutes, and he’s grown into more of an experienced player who can read those (crossing) balls when they come in,” DeRose said of Ponce de León.
Ponce de León also developed as a leader throughout his three years with Jackson Lions FC. This summer, he helped the team defeat FC Motown 2-0 in the semifinal and New Jersey United AC 1-0 in the final, earning the team’s first-ever conference title.
“I’ve seen him grow since the first time I saw him,” Jackson Lions’ head coach Brad Fraley said. “He wears the badge with honor, and he takes it seriously.”
Back to the collegiate pitch, Ponce de León felt things were looking up after being promoted as a regular starter in 2024. In the Wildcats’ Big Ten battle, he contributed as a key part in wins against Rutgers and No. 18 Michigan and a draw to Wisconsin. But the team tallied just three conference wins and ultimately missed the postseason tournament.
Despite NU’s struggles, Ponce de León shone with his leadership potential. He became more vocal from pregame to postgame, communicating with teammates and trainers.
“It’s all about understanding my why: Why I play, why I want to win this game,” said Ponce de León. “Which is to enjoy everything and to laugh a lot, to smile throughout the game and smile through the process.”
Heading into the 2025 season, Ponce de León has pushed his game even further, focusing on out-of-the-box defending after tightening his command on crosses and rebound control.
With 14 new faces joining the Wildcats, the senior goalkeeper aims to anchor the reshaped squad, not only by chasing more clean sheets but also by stepping firmly into a leadership role.
“There’s always somebody who has to lead in our penalty area for us. That’s him,” DeRose said of Ponce de León. “It’s a responsibility that I think he’s ready to accept.”
