Michelle Cruz

Michelle Cruz
Personal information
Full name Michelle Olivia Cruz
Date of birth (1992-05-14) May 14, 1992
Place of birth Long Beach, California United States
Height 5 ft 6 in (1.68 m)
Playing position Defender
Club information
Current team
 Seattle Reign FC
Number 21
Youth career
2010–2013 Portland Pilots
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2014–2015 Apollon Limassol 5 (0)
2015–2016 Seattle Reign FC 3 (0)
National team
2008 Puerto Rico U17
United States U18
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only.

Michelle Olivia Cruz (born May 14, 1992) is a Puerto Rican-American soccer defender who currently plays for Seattle Reign FC in the National Women's Soccer League. She previously played for Apollon Limassol in Cyprus.

Early life

Born in Long Beach, California, Cruz attended Thousand Oaks High School where she was a four-year varsity player.[1] Cruz helped lead the team to three consecutive league titles from 2007 to 2009.[1] During her senior year in 2010, she was named Parade Magazine High School All-American, ESPN Rise Winter All-American and was ranked by TopDrawer Soccer as one of the top 100 high school players in the nation.[1][2]

Cruz was a member of the Cal South Olympic Development Pool from 2006 to 2007 and won the Region IV Championship. In 2008, she was named to the NSCAA/Adidas Youth Girls All-Region IV team and was an Adidas Elite Soccer Program national selection.[1]

Playing career

Collegiate

University of Portland Pilots, 2010–2013

Cruz attended the University of Portland from 2010 to 2013 where she was a four-year starting defender for the Portland Pilots.[1][3] Following her freshman season in 2010, Cruz earned an All-West Coast Conference (WCC) Honorable Mention. Her performance during the 2011 season earned her Academic All-Region Second Team and WCC All Academic Honorable mention honors.[1] In 2012, she ranked second on the team in assists (6) and points (16). Her five goals ranked third.[1]

Club

Apollon Limassol, 2014

Cruz signed with Apollon Limossol in the Cypriot First Division for the 2014 season.[4] She made five appearances for the club during the 2014-15 UEFA Women's Champions League before the team was eliminated in the Round of 32.[5]

Seattle Reign FC, 2015–present

In November 2014, it was announced that Cruz had signed with Seattle Reign FC for the 2015 season of the National Women's Soccer League.[6][7] Of her signing, Reign FC head coach Laura Harvey said, "Michelle was someone we looked at towards the end of last season and felt could benefit our group. Having gained experience playing overseas, we are pleased she has decided to come to the NWSL."[8]

International

Cruz has represented the United States on the under-15 and under-18 national teams.[1][9][10] She played for the Puerto Rico under-17 national football team at the 2008 CONCACAF Women's U-20 Championship in Trinidad.[1]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 "Michelle Cruz". University of Portland. Retrieved 15 November 2014.
  2. ↑ "Michelle Cruz". Top Drawer Soccer. Retrieved 28 November 2014.
  3. ↑ Daschel, Nick (October 3, 2013). "Women's soccer: Portland Pilots' Amanda Frisbie great at scoring goals, but now she's good at stopping them". The Oregonian. Retrieved 28 November 2014.
  4. ↑ "Apollon Limassol [Women] » Squad 2014/2015". worldfootball.net. Retrieved 28 November 2014.
  5. ↑ "REIGN FC SIGN CRUZ, RE-SIGN NOGUEIRA AND FRISBIE". National Women's Soccer League. November 14, 2014. Retrieved 28 November 2014.
  6. ↑ "Reign Add Defender Michelle Cruz, Re-Sign Frisbie and Noguiera". Sounder at Heart. November 14, 2014. Retrieved 15 November 2014.
  7. ↑ Kassouf, Jeff. "Reign trade Deines to FC Kansas City for Mathias". Equalizer Soccer. Retrieved 15 November 2014.
  8. ↑ "Reign FC Signs One, Re-Signs Pair". Our Sports Central. November 14, 2014. Retrieved 28 November 2014.
  9. ↑ "Michelle Cruz". U.S. Soccer Federation. Retrieved 28 November 2014.
  10. ↑ Potkey, Rhiannon (January 6, 2009). "Soccer has taken Thousand Oaks High's Michelle Cruz around the globe". Ventura County Star. Retrieved 28 November 2014.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.