Fulfilling her Destiny: Soccer has meant world to Caddo Magnet’s Isabella Baltov
by William Weathers // GeauxPreps.com Contributor
Caddo Magnet coach Nick Flowers has enjoyed a close perspective of Isabella Baltov’s soccer journey. He maintains a sense of awe at her passion and talent for the game; she’s built a reputation that’s far exceeded her hometown of Shreveport.
“She’s always had loads of talent,” he said. “She’s worked at it. I remember her growing up around the fields even before she was old enough to play. Running around the soccer ball.”
Flowers played for her father, Radi, a former professional soccer player in Europe and the United States, and remembers a video of Baltov’s two children – Alexander and Isabella – competing on the same indoor team, with Isabella more than holding her own.
“She’s going out and competing and competing well,” he said. “She’s always been a standout player from a really young age. She’s trained really, really hard over the course of her life. Just a lot of natural talent as well. You put that together, and she’s easily one of the top players in the state.”
Isabella Baltov has created her own identity in a sport she was destined to play. She’s a two-time Division II All-State selection, two-time All-City and All-District 1-II Overall MVP, three-time Louisiana Soccer Association’s Competitive I state champion, and multi-year Olympic Development Program participant where she’s earned spots on southern regional teams.
And that’s just in her home state, where Baltov, who has signed with McNeese State, recently collected her 150th career goal for Caddo Magnet. She’s also an established club player, both in Louisiana and Texas, and helped her teams win a pair of Texas State Cups – one under Flowers – and three straight trips to the U.S. National Cup and an appearance in the U.S. Youth Regional quarterfinals.
“Since I was born,” Baltov said of her love for the game, which she attributes to her father. “I’ve always had a soccer ball around me, and it’s been a big influence on me. All I wanted to do was play soccer growing up. I’ve loved it since Day 1. I used to go with my dad to LSUS. I played club on multiple teams growing up. I knew I always wanted to play in college. It was just a matter of where.”
Baltov, one of four seniors, has played a significant role in the success of Caddo Magnet’s team which hosts North DeSoto in a district match on Jan. 13. The Lady Mustangs (10-3, 1-0 in district) have won their last four matches and are ranked No. 6 by the state’s coaches and No. 1 in the unofficial state power rankings.
“Having a bunch of freshmen in from club has been really helpful,” Baltov said. “Some are in the midfield and attacking. That helps in getting the ball to all of our key players. Overall, I think we just have a really strong team this year.”
Flowers, also the boys’ coach at Caddo Magnet, began coaching the girls when Baltov was a freshman. The Lady Mustangs have three trips to the postseason, with trips to the semifinals in 2022 and quarterfinals the following season.
“I’ve been really lucky to have her at Magnet,” he said of Baltov. “She’s started four years and has been a Day 1 starter.”
Baltov began playing in Shreveport’s recreational leagues, but it was apparent that, because of her talent, she was heading places.
She, at either 5 or 6 years old, recalled telling her mother before a recreational game she planned to score 10 goals.
“I scored 10 and stopped,” she said.
Baltov grew up playing for the Caddo Bossier Soccer Association (CABOSA) and had extended her talents to playing for the Houston Dash, part of the Houston Dynamo FC, who wanted her to play full-time. She agreed to a lesser role and played, when possible, in sixth and seventh grade.
Her skill level was advanced for her age, but the result of the time and effort she gave to the game, plying her trade when people weren’t watching.
The road map provided by her father was only good if Baltov maintained an intense work ethic and was up to the challenge.
“You have to put a lot of hours into technique, and that’s shown over the years,” Baltov said. “I work hard on and off the ball, and I help uplift my teammates if they’re not having a good game. I just make sure they know that they’re doing good, and to keep going.”
Her career continued to advance at a rapid pace because of her time with both CABOSA and the Houston Dash, which later changed to HTX Soccer.
Baltov was regarded for her scoring prowess, and it was her ability to be a volume scorer to be a catalyst for her teams. That also placed a bull’s-eye on her back, which she wears today.
“She’s been man-marked against any coach that’s known about her,” Flowers said. “She does a great job of dealing with that. Honestly, they’ve got to commit a couple of players to her, and she really has a high soccer IQ. She really understands the game well. She understands when teams focus too heavily on her, it frees up her teammates, and she can be a great facilitator.
“She’s really versatile,” Flowers said. “I play her all over the place, depending on the opponent or certain matchups. She can play pretty much any role and does the same thing in club. She understands how to really control a game, both by organizing her teammates with the ball, and has the mentality of when to take over a game by creating on her own. She’s got it all.”
The success of some of her Girls’ Academy teams (a level above club), or ODP, spilled into Baltov’s earlier years at Caddo Magnet. A trip to Orlando to play with a Southern Regional team, or high-level events with HTX, College ID camps often cut into her time with the Lady Mustangs.
It’s also a testament to her goal-scoring capability to reach her current total of 154 goals despite missing matches for such of the aforementioned events along with injuries.
“We didn’t have the concurrent rule we have now,” Flowers said. “She missed the first month of her freshman year.”
By the time she returned, Baltov was part of a Caddo Magnet team that advanced to the state semifinals. She scored 36 goals with 13 assists, and the Lady Mustangs reached the semifinals following a memorable 5-3 quarterfinal win over Ben Franklin, a game played in rainy, cold conditions.
“It was freezing, it was so fun,” Baltov said. “We all ran and jumped together after we won.”
“The Houston team had this rule that I wasn’t allowed to go to him (with Caddo Magnet) until November or December. “Getting that many goals in about half the season was a really big accomplishment. I just thought that’s what was expected of me. I was proud of myself for being able to accomplish that.”
Baltov became the program’s youngest captain as a sophomore. She enjoyed her best season with 51 goals and 30 assists, powering Caddo Magnet to a quarterfinal appearance, falling to Ben Franklin, 7-6.
Shouldering the load of responsibility wasn’t limited to Baltov’s physical skills. Throughout her club experience with CABOSA, she traditionally held the captain’s role and wasn’t taxed when called upon.
“I’d been in that situation,” she said. “As a sophomore, it was kind of intimidating, trying to order players what to do. I learned they respected me because they knew I knew what I was doing. It’s been great and helped me be a leader on and off the field.”
Caddo shut out Archbishop Chapelle 6-0 in the opening round of last year’s playoff before falling 4-0 at Central Lafourche.
Baltov tallied 33 goals and 10 assists.
“Coming into high school as a freshman, it was kind of leading by example a little bit,” Flowers said. “She was one of our top players. She’s always kind of had that role with her club teams.”
Baltov said she had other interests outside of soccer, ranging from reading to baking.
She turned the latter into a for profit endeavor before the COVID-19 worldwide pandemic. It was something she operated out of her home for 1 ½-2 years, whipping up an assortment of macaroons, chocolate chip cookies, and decorative sugar cookies.
Classmates were quite fond of her creations, placing orders at school each day for cake pops at $1 apiece and quickly gobbled up the goodies.
The only thing that shut her down was a faulty oven when the family returned from a trip to Bulgaria.
Baltov has continued cooking opponents on the soccer field this season.
Needing 20 goals for the coveted 150 mark, Baltov took aim and, 11 matches into the season, found herself with 149 goals going into a penalty kick opportunity against Acadiana during the team’s EIL Tournament in Lafayette.
Caddo had opened the tournament with a 3-0 win over Southside, then ranked No. 5 in Division I, before facing Acadiana, which presented Baltov with a memorable chance.
“I hadn’t missed a PK in four or five years,” Baltov said. “I was thinking this better not be the one that I miss. My teammates knew and were telling me, ‘You’ve got this. You’ve got this.’”
Baltov buried her attempt to help build her team’s lead over Acadiana. She now has the keepsake in her family’s living room.
Neither she nor Caddo Magnet have been stopped since.
The Lady Mustangs were a perfect 3-0 in the tournament and a 3-0 win over Catholic-New Iberia, and outscored their three opponents 12-1 in the event.
In the team’s 7-1 triumph over Parkway, Baltov scored three more times, increasing her career total to 154, or six behind the school’s career leader, Aubrey Jordan, with 160 goals.
“When we played at Caddo, we were like the dynamic duo that people had to watch out for,” Baltov said of her and Jordan. “I would play her through balls, helping her get to the record at 150. That was also my goal to get to 150 and eventually beat the record.”
Her goal?
“170,” she said.
Baltov began her career playing the wing and gravitated to the midfield, the position her father suggested when he first coached her.
“I’ll go anywhere my team needs to get a goal,” she said. “I move off the ball a lot when other girls have it. I can use both of my feet, and that’s another level of unpredictability.
“We have a couple of players I can play through balls to, and we have a high chance of scoring with them,” she said. “Or I can dribble down the field and shoot around the 18 or go straight the goal 1 v. 1 and shoot. Wherever I get the space opportunity to shoot.”
Flowers has watched Baltov evolve into more than just an elite player, but an equally impressive ray of light for the team.
“She’s always been a good leader, but she’s started to refine that,” he said. “She’s a senior that’s not just leading on the field but has done all the right things and led by example. We have great team chemistry, and she’s responsible for a lot of that. The girls get along great on and off the field. It’s been real fun to coach them this year.”
More than two months ago, Baltov reached another objective when she signed with McNeese State.
With a change in coaches to Alexis Cable, Baltov had struck a chord with the Cowgirls following an official visit and ultimately committed. She said she’s part of an eight-player signing class, which also includes her former HTX teammate Audrina Johnson.
“I really love McNeese, it’s a great school,” she said. “It’s really been a big relief. I can enjoy it and not have to worry about talking to coaches. I know where I’m going, and I’m happy with that. I can focus on my academics and play. Without that weight, I just get to enjoy my senior year.”