CSUN's Ashley Cruz Makes History After Unsteady Start to College Career

Graduate student Ashley Cruz made CSUN history when she returned to the women's soccer team this fall season. A veteran on the team since 2017, Cruz is the first CSUN student-athlete to return for a seventh season for any Matador team.

Joining CSUN by way of Oxnard High School, Cruz has had an unsteady journey through college though.

Dealing with a pair of season-ending ACL injuries and a global pandemic, Cruz's drive was tested early in her CSUN career.

"Those were the darkest years; having to deal with this injury that, one, is really tough." Cruz said. "You're out for a year and then for it to happen again, I kind of lost myself."
Ashley Cruz vs. UCLA 9-10-23

Cruz would finally suit up for CSUN near the middle portion of the 2019 season, helping contribute to the Matadors' runner-up finish at the Big West Championship, but then the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic forced the shutout of the 2020-21 season, putting her college career on pause again.

Despite the challenges, Cruz would turn that negative into a positive.

"I was starting to find myself again in 2019 when I was cleared and able to play, and then the pandemic hit, which was a shift in my identity," said Cruz. "2017 through 2018 when I was out with injury, I was lost like 'who am I without soccer?' and then in 2020 I was like, 'Okay, this is the perfect year to figure that out,'" Cruz said.

"I wasn't really scared; I was okay not having to play," she added. "It was a whole year without training, without seeing the coaches and my teammates, but I think it was a good reset moment for me."

Despite these obstacles that many had never faced before, Cruz found the strength to keep going.

In 2021, she played in 18 games, starting 13 of them, and sinking two shots in the net. A year later, she played in 15 games, starting all of them, producing two goals on 24 shots.

Now in the 2023 season, she has emerged as one of the top scoring threats, already with a pair of goals. In her final season, Cruz is looking forward to finishing strong.

"I just need to prove myself, prove why I am in this sport, prove why I am good enough to continue, so that drove me." Cruz said. "One of the things I talked to our previous coaches, when I first came in here, was that I want to win a Big West Championship.

"I haven't been able to do that, and I want to this season," she added.

Cruz wasn't just strong on the turf here at CSUN; she's had good grades throughout her time in Northridge as well.

She was named to the Big West All-Academic Team in 2019, 2021 and 2022. Last season, she was also placed on the Academic All-District Team by the College Sports Communicators, further proving her commitment to her studies.

"Ashley Cruz has been such a joy to work alongside for the last three seasons," CSUN head coach Christine Johnson said. "She is such a great person, student and player. It's amazing how much she has grown as a person and a player. She means so much to this program and has really connected with the underclassmen."
Women's Soccer 912

Currently, Cruz is enrolled in the master's program for Public Health at CSUN. She credits the university for helping her find who she is and how strong she can be.

"CSUN has shown me how strong I am." Cruz said. "I've been through so much adversity and even now, with my master's program, it hasn't been easy, but I've been able to manage it all. I also have a good community of people. I have my teammates and my coaches who always support me."

Adding to her workload, Cruz also interns at Providence Holy Cross Medical Center with the Director of Clinical Education department. She is thankful to her internship for giving her experience in leadership and dedication in the healthcare field.

"As a future health educator, I want to help educate people in my community about their health behaviors so that they can have better health outcomes," Cruz said.

Once she wraps up the master's program in December, she is hoping to work in the Los Angeles Department of Public Health. If not there, Cruz is also interested in working for any healthcare organization and being a health educator.

"If I can land a job within the Los Angeles Department of Public Health that would be amazing because it's not easy getting a job there," Cruz said.

Cruz has made a habit of overcoming, and her drive and determination to compete on the field and excel off the field has left an everlasting impression on the entire CSUN Women's Soccer program, which will be remembered for years to come.

"I am very impressed she will be leaving with both an undergraduate degree and her graduate degree, which is a testament to who she is," Johnson said. "She has done a wonderful job in her leadership role with this team, and she will be leaving some pretty big shoes to fill. I know Ashley will go on to do amazing things in her life and I am very thankful to have been a part of her journey."

Leaving behind CSUN after a seven-year journey with many ups and some downs, Cruz has a fond memory of the place she has called home over the past several years.

"I'm happy to call this my second home," she said.

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CSUN's Ashley Cruz Makes History After Unsteady Start to College Career

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