Bringing Culture to the field

Marissa Garcia, graduate student, is a defender on the CSULB women's soccer team. Photo Credit: Emily Urias

Long Beach State's women's soccer team is a force to be reckoned with. Currently placing third in The Big West Conference, the women’s soccer team, according to head coach Mauricio Ingrassia, is around one-fourth Latina.

Ingrassia has been the head coach of The Beach women’s soccer team for the past 26 seasons and picked up his 200th career win for The Beach on Aug. 31 with a 3-1 over Utah Valley.

“I look at really good players, I look at left backs and forwards. But I am obviously Hispanic (Argentine) so I know the passion of the Hispanic player and it's just lived differently here in the U.S.,” Ingrassia said.

Julie Lopez, sophomore midfielder, played soccer on the FIFA U-17 Mexican national team and in the 2022 under 17 World Cup. Soccer was a big part of her life, as her family played soccer, especially her brothers.

Despite her family's involvement with soccer, her dad didn't think she would want to play, so Lopez took the step herself to start playing in elementary school. From there she kept playing, leading her to represent Mexico on the under 17 national team.

“It's kinda unreal and an honor and a blessing just everything my parents and I have sacrificed,” Lopez said. “I am forever proud of, and it's something I just can't explain. Just being there and having fans and seeing so many people support me is something I would have never imagined and just being there and representing my culture more, learning more things and learning about my culture even was really important.”

Growing up, Lopez faced stereotypes because of her appearance. Living in a predominantly Mexican area in the valley, the boys she grew up playing soccer with would tell her she wasn't Mexican and call her a white girl, negatively impacting her perception of herself.

Despite what people said when she was younger, Lopez proudly represents her heritage on the field. Similarly, for Marissa Garcia, graduate student defender, it's an honor to represent her heritage.

“There's a lot of hard work and dedication and sacrifice that goes into it and I am just blessed and grateful to do that on and off the field whether it is games, training, or the classroom,” said Garcia, who is in her first season with The Beach. “I think being able to have that sense of community and heritage I am really proud of.”

Garcia’s older siblings were her inspiration to play soccer, as her and her older brother are close in age, and always played together. Familial bonds influence each of the players soccer careers, and for Amanda Perez, junior forward, it was her parents rather than her siblings.

“My parents are great role models for me,” Perez said. “They may have not played collegiately but they show me day in and day out that having passion and drive and motivation can take you from the bottom to the top, and that's something I carry with myself. Wherever I go.”

Perez was an energetic kid so her parents enrolled her in various sports, but nothing stuck like soccer did. Outside of playing soccer at LBSU Perez also trains athletes at the youth level.

“I just think it's really important even when the girls come out to the games to show them that there are strong women who are a part of the Hispanic community playing at high levels and it shows they can do it too,” Perez said.