Olivia Draguicevich more than a movie star to Texas Tech soccer

Whenever Tom Stone looks at adding a player to the Texas Tech soccer team, he watches as much film on the prospect as possible.

Normally, that video inventory doesn't include being able to fire up Netflix, but it was the case with Olivia Draguicevich.

"They were like enamored," Stone said of his children, who have seen Draguicevich's acting prowess. "They can't believe (it). They're like she's on your team, oh my gosh. To them it's a movie star."

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While the first Google result for Draguicevich is her IMDb page, she'd prefer to be known for her accomplishments on the field.

And after making a name for herself at the mid-major level, she's ready for the challenge of competing with the Red Raiders in the Big 12.

Lights, camera, action

Draguicevich first started acting when she was around the age of 6, a shot-in-the-dark attempt by her parents at letting their daughter find something she could be passionate about. Soccer was a prominent part of her life thanks to a family background of success on the pitch, but there was no guarantee Olivia would follow that path.

Nicole and Marcelo were anything but stage parents. They just didn't stand in Olivia's way as she found more and more roles, joining the likes of Lee Majors and Michael Madsen for the 2010 film "Corruption," where she played a brownie scout.

With three credited appearances in feature films, Draguicevich (pronounced Drag-ee-se-vich) moved away from the big screen when she entered high school. Her last role came in the 2017 film "Time Trap," which is currently available on Netflix.

"I think it was really fun," Draguicevich said of her time as an actor. "I got to experience a lot of different places because we were traveling and I think it allowed me to mature a little bit faster because being around older cast members, directors, production. ... I definitely want to do a job in social media for sports, so that kind of sparked my interest from being in front of the camera."

One spotlight to another

In addition to acting, Draguicevich participated in many sports with soccer never far from the periphery. Her dad, Marcelo, played professionally in Argentina and her uncle, Oscar, earned three caps with the U.S. National Futsal team between 1996-99.

Soccer, Draguicevich said, provided the team aspect she craved. It's one reason she enjoyed her time acting. It was a group effort to make the finished product.

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Ditching acting has proven to be a worthwhile choice. Draguicevich began her collegiate career at Northwestern State where she broke every scoring record in school history. After four years playing in the Southland Conference — twice earning forward of the year and one player of the year award — Draguicevich wanted to pursue a new challenge, see if she could keep up with stiffer competition.

That was a question Stone had of Draguicevich when she was on the transfer market.

"When you watch someone on video from another conference," Stone said, "you're trying to measure how is the competition. She's a forward, so we're seeing her score all the time, right? You're asking yourself can she score those goals in the Big 12 for a team in the power five."

Those concerns quickly dissipated. Stone noted that Draguicevich's game isn't about speed or pace. Rather, it's her positioning, the type of goals she scored at NSU, that stood out the most.

Draguicevich also got glowing reviews from everyone Stone talked to. She's an ideal fit for a team looking to add some more scoring punch. Her four years of experience playing at the collegiate level was another benefit. Joining the team in the spring, Draguicevich quickly proved she'd fit in just fine with the Red Raiders.

"It really showed that she made a pretty quick transition," Stone said, "and from a maturity standpoint, it's like having a grown woman on the team. She's just calm and been through it all, seen it all, is great to the younger players. Great teammate. So lock room wise, a home run."

A new challenge awaits

Macy Blackburn hosted Draguicevich on her recruiting visit. The Texas Tech defender couldn't believe it when Stone told her the 5-foot-6 forward was a movie star in a past life.

The team hasn't had a movie night to view any of Draguicevich's films just yet. Blackburn said they don't want their new teammate to think they're bullying her. And Draguicevich would rather be known for what she has, and can still, accomplish on the soccer field, especially on a bigger stage with a brighter spotlight.

"I think transferring you have some people that are your biggest supporters," Draguicevich said, "and you have some people that are rooting for your downfall. I think that's just more motivation to just go and kill it this year and be the best teammate in whatever role that is. Whether that's starting, not starting, going in and being a game changer, and just working my butt off for them."

Texas Tech vs. New Mexico State

When: 7 p.m. Sunday

Where: John Walker Soccer Complex

What: Home opener for Texas Tech, which began the season Thursday at New Mexico

Notable: Olivia Draguicevich has appeared in three full-length films, including "Time Trip" (2017), "Strings" (2011) and "Corruption" (2010). The transfer forward broke every scoring record at Northwestern State before joining the Red Raiders.

This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Movie star Olivia Draguicevich looks for different spotlight with Texas Tech soccer