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Ashley Cuba nearing record for Pitt soccer
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Cardinal Mooney grad Ashley Cuba is just two goals shy of breaking the University of Pittsburgh’s women’s soccer team’s record for goals scored.
PITTSBURGH
Ashley Cuba doesn’t play for records. She plays for the Pittsburgh Panthers. The Poland native and 2009 graduate of Cardinal Mooney High School is on the brink of breaking the Pitt record for goals scored for the Panthers women’s soccer team.
She wouldn’t even know it, though.
“When I’m playing it’s not a priority,” Cuba said. “I’m just worried about winning.”
Currently sitting at 17 goals midway through her junior year, she is just two shy of setting the school record.
The humble Cuba has been a soccer standout ever since she set foot on the playing field. She was a four-year letter winner at Mooney, a three-time Adidas U.S. All-Region team member, a two-time National Soccer Coaches Association of America All-American and a nominee for the Gatorade Player of the Year, all while leading the Cardinals to back-to-back state championship appearances in 2007 and 2008. Reading off her full list of accomplishments is a mouthful as there is a lot to say. Quite the opposite of Cuba, herself.
“She’s a quiet girl,” said Pitt coach Sue-Moy Chin. “She’s definitely a leader on the team, just not as vocal, but she’s working on it.”
Cuba was part of the University of Pittsburgh leadership retreat in the offseason with other Panther athletic teams that helped her blossom into a commander with her skills, along with her voice.
“It was really cool and helped prepare me for the season,” she said. “A bunch of athletes were there and we worked on our teamwork and cooperation. It was an eye-opener because I saw that many athletes share the same problems I have and the same problems that the soccer team has.”
When Chin recruited Cuba to Pittsburgh, the scouting was easy. The nine-year head coaching veteran salivated over Cuba’s agility and knack for scoring. Plus, Youngstown’s proximity to the Steel City made the decision that much simpler, for both parties.
“It’s a natural pipeline,” Chin said. “The closeness made it easier for us to go to Youngstown and see her games and it was easier for her to come here to check out the campus and get involved early with our camps.”
Now, Cuba is right at home in Pittsburgh.
“I love the city,” she said. “It’s close to home, but still nice that I’m on my own. We have a new facility here that is great to work in, the other girls on the team are easy to get along with and the student support is great.”
Cuba admits she has missed Youngstown, but her family is just a call and short drive away. Her mother, Nancy and three younger siblings, Brittany, Danielle and Sonny, still remain in constant contact with her and always travel to the Oakland neighborhood of Pittsburgh to see the Panthers play.
“My mom goes to a lot of the away games, too. Just not the ones we fly to, like Connecticut and South Florida,” Cuba said.
As Cuba inches closer to the record, Pitt is faltering. With a record of 1-6-4, scoring is down and the Panthers are allowing an average of 2.5 goals per game.
“The forwards and I have been working on finishing and the transition from practice to the game is starting to come together,” said Cuba.
In its last game against South Florida, Pitt tallied 20 shots on goal, the highest amount of the year. Both Chin and Cuba agree that the record chase is being put on the backburner while the team works to mend its struggles.
“It’s something that is known, but not spoken about,” Chin said. “If it comes, it comes, and I’m confident that it will. You just can’t think about it. If you do, then you stop focusing on the little things that ultimately will get her to the record.”
Chin said Cuba isn’t the flashiest or most technical player on the field, but she gets the job done. Two seasons ago she became just the third player in program history to earn Big East All-Rookie honors. In that season, her freshman year, Cuba scored seven goals, leading the team and tying for third in school history for any class level. She led the team again in 2010 with six goals and opened the year with a hat trick in a victory over Buffalo.
“I’m just confident in my abilities,” Cuba said. “I love the sport and have worked really hard.”
For now, Cuba is just taking it game by game. The Panthers are in the heart of the Big East slate and there is a lot of work to be done. While setting the goals record isn’t necessarily high on the to-do list, Cuba says it will be a special moment when it comes.
“In the end, it’s going to be an honor to have made a mark on the program,” she said.