Eastern Michigan Athletics
Former EMU Standout Now Guiding Guyana's World Cup Hopes
6/10/2010 12:38:09 PM | Soccer
Ashley Rodrigues, reigning MAC Player of the Year, is the captain of the Guyana Women's National team
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) -- For most college athletes, their 10 semesters of eligibility run out and their athletic careers are over. But with the support of her coaches and teammates at Eastern Michigan University, Ashley Rodrigues was encouraged to continue her soccer career. Rodrigues is currently the captain of the Guyana Women's National team, a program still in its infancy, but with high hopes of a bid to the 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup in Germany.
“It was an amazing four years at Eastern,” Rodrigues said. “The good relationships I had with coaches and players helped me grow to be where I am today. It made me want to look for something further to continue my soccer career.”
She gives a lot of credit to her parents, Mark and Nalini Rodrigues, who were born in Guyana before moving to Canada at a young age. Her father is currently the technical director with the Guyanese women's soccer program after previously serving as assistant coach at the University of South Florida. He has been one of the key contributors in taking the year-and-a-half old national program to where it is today.
“My family has been a really big support system,” Rodrigues said. “It's an honor to be able to give back to the country my parents were born in. Without them, none of this would be possible.”
While at Eastern, Rodrigues cemented her name into the EMU record book by turning in a senior season to remember. She tallied 10 goals and 21 points, both conference bests. It led to her first Mid-American Conference Player of the Year award and earned her first team All-Great Lakes Region honors. She finished her career fourth all-time in goals (21) and points (53) and seventh in assists (11).
She now goes from the ever-competitive MAC to the incomparable task of facing international competition with aspirations of qualifying for the world's biggest stage.
In its quest for a World Cup bid, the Guyana Lady Jags captured victories over Suriname and St. Vincent and the Grenadines in first round qualifying back in March before going 2-1 in second round and Gold Cup qualifying action in Port of Spain, Trinidad in May. Rodrigues scored three goals including two in an 8-0 victory over St. Lucia. The Lady Jags fell to Trinidad and Tobago, 3-0, in their final game of the week, but still advanced to the Gold Cup qualifier against Cuba. Originally scheduled to be a four-team event, the Caribbean Football Union (CFU) declared Trinidad and Tobago and Haiti early qualifiers for the Gold Cup, leaving Guyana and Cuba to fight it out in a home-and-home, two leg playoff that will advance the winner to the 2010 CONCACAF Gold Cup.
“It was a good eye-opener for us,” Rodrigues said of the 3-0 setback to Trinidad and Tobago. “This is a new level of competition. We realize where we need to be and it was a good learning experience for us.”
The 2010 CONCACAF Gold Cup will be played in Puerto Rico in October. Seven of the eight teams that have already qualified include: the United States, Canada, Mexico, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Trinidad and Tobago and Haiti. Guyana and Cuba will play for the eighth and final spot with the first leg of their playoff scheduled for June 26, in Cuba, followed by the second leg July 3, in Guyana. The top-two teams at the conclusion of the 2010 CONCACAF Gold Cup will earn automatic bids to the 2011 FIFA World Cup.
Already, the Lady Jags have created an enormous amount of buzz with their early success.
“There's been a lot of media attention so far which is exciting,” Rodrigues said. “I think the people in Guyana are now seeing what a little success can do for their beautiful country.”
Rodrigues stated that the goal of the program is, “To take it as far as we can go. Push success to the limit and see what happens.”
“Building a soccer program in Guyana is exciting,” Rodrigues said. Several of her teammates were recruited from all over. Some are natives of Guyana while others are also from places such as Canada who have Guyana ties as well. With hard work and continued success, all involved hope to inspire the Guyanese youth movement.
“If we get the youth involved, then hopefully we can get them to grow the program in the future,” Rodrigues said.
Rodrigues's personal aspirations are also inspired by the future of youth soccer. She has a desire to be a coach someday and that can be attributed to EMU Head Coach Scott Hall and Assistant Coach Joe Malachino. This year, she will begin that quest by assisting Malachino in coaching the Michigan Alliance, a local youth soccer program.
Currently, she is back in Michigan, completing an internship with the Red Cross Health Administration on her way to finishing up her schooling at Eastern Michigan. Down the road, she would like to get her master's degree before eventually pursuing a college coaching career.
For now, though, her goal as captain will be to lead the Guyanese Women's National team to the 2011 FIFA World Cup in Germany.
“It was an amazing four years at Eastern,” Rodrigues said. “The good relationships I had with coaches and players helped me grow to be where I am today. It made me want to look for something further to continue my soccer career.”
She gives a lot of credit to her parents, Mark and Nalini Rodrigues, who were born in Guyana before moving to Canada at a young age. Her father is currently the technical director with the Guyanese women's soccer program after previously serving as assistant coach at the University of South Florida. He has been one of the key contributors in taking the year-and-a-half old national program to where it is today.
“My family has been a really big support system,” Rodrigues said. “It's an honor to be able to give back to the country my parents were born in. Without them, none of this would be possible.”
While at Eastern, Rodrigues cemented her name into the EMU record book by turning in a senior season to remember. She tallied 10 goals and 21 points, both conference bests. It led to her first Mid-American Conference Player of the Year award and earned her first team All-Great Lakes Region honors. She finished her career fourth all-time in goals (21) and points (53) and seventh in assists (11).
She now goes from the ever-competitive MAC to the incomparable task of facing international competition with aspirations of qualifying for the world's biggest stage.
In its quest for a World Cup bid, the Guyana Lady Jags captured victories over Suriname and St. Vincent and the Grenadines in first round qualifying back in March before going 2-1 in second round and Gold Cup qualifying action in Port of Spain, Trinidad in May. Rodrigues scored three goals including two in an 8-0 victory over St. Lucia. The Lady Jags fell to Trinidad and Tobago, 3-0, in their final game of the week, but still advanced to the Gold Cup qualifier against Cuba. Originally scheduled to be a four-team event, the Caribbean Football Union (CFU) declared Trinidad and Tobago and Haiti early qualifiers for the Gold Cup, leaving Guyana and Cuba to fight it out in a home-and-home, two leg playoff that will advance the winner to the 2010 CONCACAF Gold Cup.
“It was a good eye-opener for us,” Rodrigues said of the 3-0 setback to Trinidad and Tobago. “This is a new level of competition. We realize where we need to be and it was a good learning experience for us.”
The 2010 CONCACAF Gold Cup will be played in Puerto Rico in October. Seven of the eight teams that have already qualified include: the United States, Canada, Mexico, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Trinidad and Tobago and Haiti. Guyana and Cuba will play for the eighth and final spot with the first leg of their playoff scheduled for June 26, in Cuba, followed by the second leg July 3, in Guyana. The top-two teams at the conclusion of the 2010 CONCACAF Gold Cup will earn automatic bids to the 2011 FIFA World Cup.
Already, the Lady Jags have created an enormous amount of buzz with their early success.
“There's been a lot of media attention so far which is exciting,” Rodrigues said. “I think the people in Guyana are now seeing what a little success can do for their beautiful country.”
Rodrigues stated that the goal of the program is, “To take it as far as we can go. Push success to the limit and see what happens.”
“Building a soccer program in Guyana is exciting,” Rodrigues said. Several of her teammates were recruited from all over. Some are natives of Guyana while others are also from places such as Canada who have Guyana ties as well. With hard work and continued success, all involved hope to inspire the Guyanese youth movement.
“If we get the youth involved, then hopefully we can get them to grow the program in the future,” Rodrigues said.
Rodrigues's personal aspirations are also inspired by the future of youth soccer. She has a desire to be a coach someday and that can be attributed to EMU Head Coach Scott Hall and Assistant Coach Joe Malachino. This year, she will begin that quest by assisting Malachino in coaching the Michigan Alliance, a local youth soccer program.
Currently, she is back in Michigan, completing an internship with the Red Cross Health Administration on her way to finishing up her schooling at Eastern Michigan. Down the road, she would like to get her master's degree before eventually pursuing a college coaching career.
For now, though, her goal as captain will be to lead the Guyanese Women's National team to the 2011 FIFA World Cup in Germany.
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