By Erick Flores, October 21, 2025
Cal Poly Pomona’s women’s soccer senior forward Vanessa Cruz earned CCAA Women’s Soccer Offensive Player of The Week Sept. 29 – Oct. 5 for the second time this season and third time in her career.
Cruz found the net for two game-winning goals and provided the assist for another, while leading No. 1 CPP over San Francisco State and Cal State Monterey Bay in their inaugural conference weekend on Oct 3-5.
Cruz’s penalty kick conversion in the 70th minute closed out a 1-0 victory over Monterey Bay Oct. 3, even as the score appeared stuck at 0-0 going into the second half.
“Initially, when the foul was drawn, I knew Marisa trusted me to take it,” Cruz said.. “One of their players tried to get in my head before the shot, but it did not faze me. I just took a deep breath and focused.”
When talking about the second match, there were a lot of different conditions from the first. Cruz mentioned the mindset of how it was with little rest between games. Which was having two games within a three-day span.
Cruz also added about setting the tone early in the second game. They knew to win the second match they had to start off strong as well as saying that this team’s mentality was all about being the aggressors.
Cruz is currently leading the CCAA league with seven goals and 15 points.
“When you watch Vanessa right now, what stands out most is how hard she works on both sides of the ball,” head coach Jay Mason said. “Her soccer IQ is so high. She puts her teammates in good positions and makes everyone around her better.”
Mason added Cruz’s consistency on the field has given the team contagious confidence.
Assistant coach Daniel Richards said her play on the field helps the team by dragging defenders toward her, allowing open play for her teammates around her, then besides tactical play she also has the ability to lead as a role model.
“Her passion fuels everything we do,” Richards said. “Vanessa wants to get better every single day. The bigger the game, the more she wants to make an impact.”
Richards said Cruz has grown mentally as well as physically. Her mindset has always been focused on hard work and dedication, as well as passion. He said Cruz’s presence on the field helps tactically, too.
“She pushes people, but she also makes them feel supported,” Richards said. “Her success reflects our team culture. It is a product of everyone buying into the same goals. When Vanessa succeeds, the team is succeeding.”
Cruz still faced challenges along the way to her current position. She struggled with self-doubt while attending UC Riverside and University of Saint Katherine.
Cruz set school scoring records and won Cal Pac Offensive Player of the Year, plus multiple other accolades like D2CCA All-West Region First Team, CCAA Player of the Year, CCAA Newcomer of the Year and CCAA Forward of the Year.
“People used to tell me I wasn’t good enough,” Cruz said. “That motivated me. I had to prove to myself that I could do it.”
Mason described her in two words: relentless and passionate. He continued to say how humble and compassionate she is, both as a person and a player.
“It’s an insane feeling,” Cruz said. “We are hungry every training session. No matter how many wins we have, we always want more.”
Cruz wants her time at CPP to be known not only for the awards she earned, but the type of person she is off the field.
“I hope people remember me not for the awards, but for how I uplifted others,” Cruz said.
Feature image courtesy of CPP Athletics
