Ashley Routh of the Seattle U women’s soccer team recently earned the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) Defensive Player of the Week honor for the week of Oct. 23 to 29. The goalkeeper had an impressive performance at the senior night game, with six saves in the shutout victory.

Sophomore GK Ashley Routh.

SW: Did you expect that you’d be playing soccer in college?

AR: I knew I wanted to, I knew it was an idea but didn’t know that it was something that could actually happen, so it was kind of a surprise I would say. Going to all the showcase tournaments, it was something that was in the back of my mind that I didn’t know that I wanted. But I’m glad it did happen.

SW: Do you hope to take soccer past college?

AR: I don’t think so. I think that this level right here is perfect. In college, I never really thought about doing anymore than that and so I don’t think I would want to do so. I think this is good.

SW: How do you feel now that the season is over?

AR: It’s sad, it was definitely a rough season I think all the way through. There were some ups and downs but I’m really proud of how we came out of it. We were on such a roll at the end of the season that it’s kind of unfortunate to have it end the way it did, at the time it did too. And especially being gone for a majority of the season with an injury, I didn’t get to play as much as I wanted…I missed so much of the season that I’m sad that I came back at the time I did because it seems so short.

SW: What has been your best game or save?

AR: Save-wise would probably be in the semi final game, the last 15 seconds of the WAC championship on Friday was probably my biggest and most important save I would say. Because they were the number one seed and we were kind of the underdogs in it, and to have a lead and to preserve it on a single save, and to have the last final touch of the game was probably the biggest and most important save.

SW: What do you like about the Seattle U soccer team?

AR: I love how close we all are. I think that was a big deciding factor when I chose Seattle U is to just see when I came on my visit how close everybody was. It didn’t matter what age you were or what class you were in, everybody is so close and the atmosphere at practice and traveling and in school, it’s just so close. We have such a good bond and I think that’s one of the best parts about it is that we all have fun. We’re here to play competitive soccer, but it’s true in college too, I made 26 best friends on this team.

SW: How do you balance being a student athlete?

AR: It’s definitely hard, it really is, especially having a fall sport. Because you’re here, you only get a month of summer and then we’re here at the beginning of August. Being here a month, two months without school is really great, but as soon as school hits it’s really hard to balance. But it’s so doable, they provide you with so many different resources inside the classroom and outside the classroom and different people that make it very much achievable. It is definitely hard but it’s something that can be done.

SW: Do you have a player or team that you admire?

AR: The Women’s National Team. I’ve always looked up to them. It’s always been so cool, especially with that big outbreak about how women’s sports and the women’s national team doesn’t get as much recognition and pay as the men, and just to see how hard they fight and how much they’ve accomplished and not getting rewarded how they should. I think that’s something to look up to.

SW: What does it mean to you to have won the WAC Defensive Player of the Week?

AR: It meant a lot, being in a conference like this is something that I’ve always wanted to be in. We work so hard, all of us work so hard and a lot of people don’t get recognized, so to be able to be one who was recognized, it was so cool. Coming back from the injury, that was only my second or third game. To have gotten something that I’ve been working for for three years, it meant a lot. You work so hard, and to finally be recognized, especially as a goalkeeper too because I feel like that’s really hard, you feel accomplished. And it was something to push forward, you want to work harder, you want to get it again.

Sofía may be reached at
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