Freshman Sierra Cook never planned to stand out.

But she also never really had the choice.

Coming from a humble beginning in Silverdale, Wash., Cook was forced to share the spotlight and compete for everything as one of 10 kids in her tightly-knit family.

“I think it makes me more competitive,” she said. “Especially in juggling. There was one time when I was 10, I touched the ball over 2,000 times because my brother and I would always compete.

“He would beat me, and then I would have to come back and beat him the next day.”

Cook’s childhood experiences helped improve her skills. And how well she relates with teammates stems from all the time spent with her siblings.

“I have never been one to try to be in the spotlight the whole time,” Cook said. “Being in a big family…you have to get used to being part of the group.”

Cook began playing soccer at the age of 5 and within a few years was playing competitively in local leagues. At the age of 9, she tried out for Westsound FC, a select program.

That’s where she found her niche.

Her talent went unnoticed, however, as Cook never played a minute of high school soccer before her senior year.

“For school, I was more of a runner,” she said. “They didn’t [see] me as a soccer player.

“I did track and cross country, partly because I was good and partly because it was fun. But it wasn’t what I was focused on.”

And the little soccer experience she had made the next step a tough one to make.

“I played for a club team, [and] my coach always told me not to worry about where I was going to go to college,” Cook said. “He said he would take care of that.

“Eventually though, I switched teams. In the first tournament I played for that team, [ASU coach] Kevin [Boyd] got to see me play.”

Apparently, Boyd liked what he saw as Cook now dons the maroon and gold.

Cook’s competitive nature has propelled her into a starting forward position on the Sun Devils, and on Sunday, her inner drive was out in full force.

Cook scored her first two collegiate goals to help the team secure a 4-0 victory over Weber State. She was also responsible for one assist to redshirt freshman teammate Erica Long.

As a result, she was nominated for the Pac-10 Women’s Soccer Player of the Week award.

Her five points, two goals and eight shots also tied the single-game high of any Pac-10 Conference player in all three categories this season.

“Sierra is discovering her role right now,” Boyd said. “She has a knack for scoring goals.

“She’s a dangerous striker because she’s good at creating her own chances in games. That’s what she does in practice, and she found it this weekend.”

But Boyd too derives Cook’s play from her childhood.

“What we see on the soccer field; that’s her,” coach Kevin Boyd said. “She’s a [dominating] presence, and to be honest, I think it’s just the tip of the ice berg.

“She’s one of 10 kids, and she’s right in the middle; what you get from that is drive. She battles because she wants to achieve it on her own.”

Reach the reporter at emiley.darling@asu.edu.