Girls' Soccer Star Signs on at Belmont Abbey

Senior midfielder Ashley Mendez is taking her talents down south next year.

The 17-year-old soccer star signed a letter of intent Wednesday to play next season at perennial Division II women’s soccer power Belmont Abbey College in North Carolina.

From the beginning, Mendez had her sights set on going to school in the Tar Heel state, an annual summer vacation destination that she calls a home away from home.

“I definitely wanted to go to North Carolina,” said Mendez, who chose Belmont Abbey over two other North Carolina schools -- Wingate University and St. Andrew’s Presbyterian College. “The weather definitely is a major factor.”

Over the summer, Mendez attended a soccer showcase in North Carolina where she got to work with and have her play evaluated by college coaches.

It was there she first saw Belmont Abbey’s team play and fell in love with their style, which she compares to her beloved Barcelona.

“I had a connection automatically with the team,” Mendez said. “They were like a dream team to me.”

A self-described speedy, team-oriented player who’d rather make a great crossing pass for an assist than score a goal, Mendez picked up the game in first grade and moved through the Fair Lawn All-Sports Select ranks until high school.

“As I grew older the passion just became stronger and I knew more and more that that’s all I wanted to do,” she said. “To make sure it was always in my life.”

As a high school freshman, Mendez joined Ramapo’s club team, a move she believes played an important role in her development as a player.

“I learned all these new foot skills and then that gave me more confidence when I practiced really hard,” said Mendez, who credits her club coach, a former professional player in Costa Rica. “I feel like I became a more developed player and saw the game in a different light.”

Mendez has battled injuries throughout her high school career – including a concussion and broken nose this season – but she’s managed to persevere.

While waiting to return from her injury this year, Mendez helped coach the team from the sidelines, determined to keep her head up even as the girls struggled through a rebuilding season.

“I had to make sure to stay aggressive and positive even if we were losing the game to show the team -- don’t give up and stay determined to reach your goal,” she said.

Despite her injuries, Mendez said Belmont Abbey never wavered on its scholarship offer. She’s looking forward to stepping in at midfielder next year and expects a smooth transition to the college ranks, having competed against college-age girls with her club team since she was a high school freshman.

Yet as much as Mendez loves soccer, its academics that keep the National Honors Society member and first-ever female student government athletic chair grounded. 

Mendez said she didn’t even consider playing for a Division I school due to the single-minded focus such programs devote to athletics.

“I know how [playing a Division I sport] changes your whole lifestyle and I want to make sure school stays in balance with soccer and not just make it my entire college career,” she said.

Mendez, who will pursue a sports management degree at Belmont Abbey on a joint academic and athletic scholarship, plans to one day become a sporting events coordinator.

“I feel like this is my biggest reward from working so hard all these years,” she said. “There were issues, but I stuck through and made it this far.”