*Disclaimer, Cynthia Ramirez is a member of The Runner
On Oct. 20, 2024, the Cal State Bakersfield women’s soccer team celebrated as the final whistle was blown; they had just defeated Cal Poly, by a score of two to nil. This might seem like just another game for the Roadrunner’s, but for Cynthia Ramirez this game meant a little extra.
This was Ramirez’s first-time meeting against her previous club coach. The same coach who had told her that she was “too small” and “too skinny” to play division one soccer; which caused her to take a break from the game.
This meeting between the Roadrunner’s and the Mustangs proved Ramirez’s old coach wrong, who had recently begun assistant coaching for Cal Poly. She not only proved him wrong by playing division I soccer, but by helping her team win, leaving him with a two-hour long bus ride to reflect on just how wrong he was about Ramirez.
“Seeing him and playing him my first year here [at CSUB] as a junior, and we beat Cal Poly 2-0, oh, it was so nice! It was like, the best thing ever,” said Ramirez.
Despite Ramirez’s deceivingly small 5′ 2″ frame, she has a large presence both on and off the field.
Ramirez was born in Arroyo Grande, Calif where she and her sisters grew up playing soccer, a sport which she credits for giving her so much.
It was at a young age when she experienced one of the most trying times in her life. One of the hardest moments in her life.
One early morning, on her father’s daily commute to work, he was involved in a devastating head-on collision, which required him to be air-lifted to a hospital in Santa Barbara.
Ramirez and her sisters went on with their day as normal, being unaware of what had just happened, until hours went by at their grandmas house and no one picked them up They waited anxiously and were given excuse after excuse, until there was nothing else but the truth to be told.
Ramirez’s father would be constantly in and out of the surgery room during his intense recovery process, which left him unable to work.
During this same time, both her younger sister and older sister were facing health problems such as having open-heart surgery and being diagnosed with epilepsy.
“I don’t know how my mom did it, it was a super hard time, but it was just crazy how I was still able to play soccer. She was like, I don’t care, I don’t want you guys at home, go practice,” said Ramirez.
She credits her mom for keeping a sense of normalcy by pushing her to continue playing soccer.
When her dad had recovered, he would take her and her sisters to all of their practices and games, as it was a distraction for him.
“It just made me so happy that he always wanted to be there,” said Ramirez.
Ramirez calls her parents her biggest fans. She is thankful for the support they have shown her, and for the game which has given her so much.
“I gained a family, teammates, I feel like it’s brought my family closer, and I feel like you just grow this passion for it, because you have such a fun time with it,” said Ramirez.
However, despite her appreciation for the game, she was unsure how long she could continue to play and compete.
It was at her junior college, Allan Hancock Community College, where she met coach Cesar De Alba, who assured her that she could play at the division I level and eventually at the professional level.
“I’m so thankful for him for injecting that confidence in me,” said Ramirez.
She credits De Alba for pushing her to keep going, which is when she visited CSUB and after receiving the greenlight from her father she committed to the Roadrunners.
Ramirez was still unsure whether she could make the transition to playing at a higher level, a doubt which quickly fled from her mind as she began to play at CSUB. She went on to score four goals and one assist in her junior year at CSUB, and then five goals and two assists in her senior year.
“I feel now, playing in college, I play to inspire little girls,” said Ramirez.” …sometimes you don’t come from the most money, or the biggest club, but you could still make it and find a team and play at the highest level.”
Ramirez, who wears the number seven and is deservingly known as CR7 in comparison to Cristiano Ronaldo, hopes to inspire others who are like her to follow their dreams even if they are being counted out.
“Everyone gravitates toward her without them even realizing it. It’s like the team functions better just because shes a part of it,” said CSUB’s midfielder Isis Salazar-Ortega.
One of the ways in which she does this is through her following on Tik Tok, where she has amassed millions of views creating primarily soccer-based content.
She has often had young girls come out to her games asking her for a picture, which took her a little getting used to.
“At first, I was like ‘uh me?’ and then after I was like oh….so many people will come up to you and be like, You helped me with my soccer and I love soccer because of it, or I love watching you play’ which feels nice, it’s rewarding,” said Ramirez.
Ramirez plans on continuing to inspire as many young girls through soccer as she can.
Ramirez has always been seen as an underdog on the soccer field. She’s heard every reason as to why she can’t. Why she “can’t” be a starter, play division I soccer, win the league or even go pro; wherever Ramirez goes, she continues to prove the doubters wrong.
