Work hard, dream big.

That adage speaks volumes for Sierra High senior Zoie Willson, who inked a National Letter of Intent Thursday to play soccer for the Stanislaus State.

She was joined in the school cafeteria for the special signing event by her mother, Melissa Willson, along with her Timberwolves coaches Manuel Pires and James Burns, and Manteca Futbol Club (2004 Dash) coach Dinesh Singh.

Each described Willson, who is a four-year varsity player for Sierra, as the epitome of hard work.

The Timberwolves (10-1-1 Valley Oak League, 15-4-2 overall) are gearing up for another postseason run. They won the Sac-Joaquin Section Division III title and were the NorCal finalists during the 2018-19 season and might have had another successful run the following season if not for the COVID-19 pandemic, SHS Athletic Director Andrew Lee noted.

“Zoie has had a very decorated career,” he added.

Pires mentioned that Willson, who is a defender/midfielder, was among the core group of young players brought up to the varsity squad as freshmen.

“They’ve won four VOL titles and they’re still not finished,” he said.

Zoie Willson is looking forward to playing Division II soccer for the Stanislaus State Warriors next year. She’s planning on studying Kinesiology with hopes of getting into physical therapy or medicine.

The future is promising for the hard-working Willson.