By Lena Moreno, May 6,2025
The Cal Poly Pomona women’s soccer team was honored at Angel Stadium in celebration of its first NCAA Division II National Championship win.
The game was held on Cal Poly Pomona Night, where the Angels played against the Pittsburgh Pirates on April 23. CPP affiliated attendees, such as alumni, students and faculty, received a co-branded CPP/Angels hat as part of the annual university event.
The 2024 women’s soccer team, including the coaching and supporting staff, walked out on the field together and was introduced to the stadium before the start of the game.
Head coach Jay Mason threw out the honorary first pitch to the Angels’ current batting practice pitcher, Mike Ashman.
Ashman is a former Oakland Athletics and Pirates player, a CPP baseball player, alumnus and was CPP’s head baseball coach from 1996-2010.
Notably, in 1980, Ashman was involved in the Division II National Championship with the men’s baseball team.
“It’s just great to know that he’s still really connected with the university and some of the current administration there,” Mason said. “It just shows the lasting impact that we can make after we leave this place, especially for our student-athletes.”
Assistant coach Daniel Richards and volunteer assistant coach Andy Gutierrez were featured with Mason on the stadium’s jumbo screens. Alongside them was forward Tara Oper who presented the NCAA trophy on behalf of the team’s reigning success.
Oper described the night as a surreal experience, stating how rewarding it felt to deliver the team’s first national championship, fulfilling a lifelong dream of hers since she was young.
The coaching staff selected Oper to present the trophy because of her hardworking contributions over the last three seasons since joining as a transfer student after her freshman year.
“Her kind of desire to continue pushing herself to achieve and then obviously this last year as a senior, she had an unbelievable season,” Richards said.
Oper has earned multiple honors throughout the course of the season, including the All-American and Division II Player of the Year.
Oper credits her teammates’ transparency for being a contributing motivator throughout the season. Having balance on and off the field led to a season full of laughter and close bonds as opposed to rivalry, unifying the team as a whole, she said.
“Whether you had 80% that day, you give your full 80% and your teammates will be there to support you and get your back,” Oper said. “And if you are feeling 100% that day, how can you push your teammates to get better and get their back?”
As for the coaching staff, it was always more than just receiving a trophy — it was about leaving a new legacy with their first championship.
Richards said the women’s soccer program is built on community and resilience, a quality Oper affirms that has helped the team thrive and pursue excellence
“Although this is the first year we’ve won it, we’ve been competing against top schools day-in, day-out, year after year from our conference and from our region,” Richards said. “Maybe some people didn’t know how strong of a program we were just based on not getting a chance to see us on the national stage based on the region we were coming from.”
Having the team honored at Angel Stadium was more than just recognition. According to Mason, it reflected all the hard work and effort put behind the scenes people don’t see while they’re in attendance at a game.
“They only get to see the game and the moment where it happens,” Mason said. “For them to be honored was just really special for them to be on the field for them and their families. It’s something they’ll cherish for a long time.”
Feature image courtesy of CPP Athletics
