by Nathan Farmer

For Utah Valley senior Jose Luis Martin Montealegre, October and Breast Cancer Awareness month hits close to home. 

In the spring of 2017 when he was just 11 years old, his mom, Sandra, was diagnosed with breast cancer. 

“They caught it in the later stages, so her chances [for recovery] were lower. She was way more positive than anyone else in the family. She stayed really strong and had a very positive mindset.” 

The news was earthshattering for young Jose.

“We went to the cancer association and they took me to a psychologist, and my first question was, ‘is she going to die?’, because I didn’t know what was going on. But she was the complete opposite, with all this positive energy.” 

The Martin Montealegre family made the most of the circumstances, doing funny haircuts to show solidarity and help lighten the mood. Jose was the one who ended up shaving his mom’s hair.

Throughout her fight with cancer, his mom’s consistent positive attitude is what inspired Jose the most.

“With the haircut and shaving her head, she was like, ‘let’s make this fun, let’s make it a party.’ She was going through a lot physically and mentally, but she was the one that had the best attitude out of all of us. 

“It changed her approach to life in general because she started taking what’s most important more seriously, like family, life, and living in the present. We’re all grateful for her, because it’s really helped us all.”

After surgery, chemo, and radiation, Sandra was declared cancer-free in December of 2017, but she still has hormone treatments and checkups every few months to ensure the cancer hasn't returned.

Jose’s play has taken off in October.  He has a goal contribution in five of his six appearances this month, including the game-winning goal against No. 21 Oregon State on Saturday, while also scoring goals against UC Santa Barbara, Sacramento State, and San Diego State. Last October, Jose also had a goal and four assists across seven games played. This month, Jose has been wearing pink tape on his wrist inscribed with the word “Mama."

Coming over to the United States, it was important for Jose to carry both of his parent’s names while competing collegiately. In Spain and many other European countries, when a couple gets married, it is traditional for the wife to keep her own last name, while the children carry on the last names of both parents. In Jose’s case, Martin comes from his father, while Montealegre comes from his mother. 

Jose’s father has dealt with many medical hardships of his own. Complications at birth have made it difficult for him to walk, and he is unable to work. He also dealt with a cancer scare of his own shortly after his wife was cleared. Jose points to his parents as his biggest role models.

Football has shaped Jose from day one. Growing up in Málaga along Spain’s southern coast, Jose remembers playing since he was five years old.

“I remember everyone else’s parents used to punish their kids like, ‘no phone for a week’ or ‘no PS4 for a week’, but my parents would tell me I couldn’t play soccer for a week if I ever got bad grades. I think playing soccer has taught me most of the values I have, all the discipline and hard work you have to put in your daily life.” 

Being far away from family and friends hasn’t been easy, but the strength of the team culture and having teammates who are also in the same boat has helped limit homesickness. As a team, the Wolverines have 14 international athletes and an additional three from out-of-state.

“What’s helped is that my roommates are also far from home. Nobody’s gonna just disappear for a day with their family, you’re all in it together. You’re with them 24/7.”

One of the times he has felt some homesickness was this past summer. Spain won its second World Cup title over Argentina, and his hometown club, Málaga CF, earned promotion back to La Liga. 

“I loved that we won [the World Cup], but I would have rather been in Spain to watch us win. It’s a shame I wasn’t with my family and friends to celebrate, but it was great to get.”

The style of play in the States took some getting used to initially, but Jose says head coach Michael Chesler’s system mirrors more of what he’s used to back home. 

“In Spain, I think coaches in general value technicality a little more than physical attributes, but to be fair, here at UVU, we try to play out, we try to play with the ball at our feet. So it’s not really that big of a change, but there’s been games that I’ve played here — not only here at UVU but back at my JUCO — where I’ve been like, ‘dude, we’re barely even playing soccer.’ We’re just kicking the ball and jumping for it.”

Jose came to Utah Valley after two impressive seasons at Pima Community College in Arizona, scoring 23 goals to go with five assists while leading his team to the national quarterfinals as a freshman and the semifinals as a sophomore. In his two seasons as a Wolverine, Jose has been one of the team’s top scoring threats, leading the team with eight goals and eight assists since the start of the 2025 season. Jose has seen himself grow both on and off the pitch during his time in Orem.

“[Since coming to UVU], I think my finishing has improved a lot, and also my tactical awareness. I’ve been talking a lot with associate head coach Brett Jacobs. What’s developed most in my game is the timing of when I come down with the ball and stuff like that.

“I think I’ve tried to be more understanding of things that are going on outside of the field. It’s easy to judge someone because of their performance, but there’s so many external things that can affect your emotions and the way you play.”

Jose and the Wolverines are in prime position to make history in the team’s inaugural season in The Big West. Utah Valley heads into the final game of the regular season needing just a point to secure the team’s first league title in 10 years, and are poised to make just their second-ever trip to the NCAA Tournament.

Earlier this month, Utah Valley men's soccer unveiled new pink Breast Cancer Awareness uniforms, and the team partnered with Utah-based foundation Pink Sync for the jersey reveal. Pink Sync provides breast cancer patients with resources and support while offering a community for those going through the fight. To learn more about Pink Sync, head to pinksync.org.