By: Cody Abney and Chance Jasso
On March 9th, 2023, Alyssa Hernandez ´24 made the decision to pursue her academic and soccer career at Cal State Bakersfield. She will be playing National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division-1 soccer in 2026. Hernandez ´24 is a varsity soccer player for Redwood and is a top player on the team. Hernandez has a bright future in front of her as she is just a Junior at Redwood.
When asked about how she feels about committing, Hernandez says, ¨I am really excited and grateful to be able to continue playing soccer, especially in the Big West Conference. Playing Soccer at the D1 level has been Hernandez´s childhood dream. She says that she ¨Loves Bakersfield and the coaches and the whole team is so nice and welcoming which makes me even more excited to go there.¨
While Hernandez had a lot of options. She chose Bakersfield because it is close to home and her family can watch her. When asked about it, Hernandez says, ¨I also love the campus and the facilities they have for soccer. The coaches are amazing and they showed great interest in me and made me feel wanted and to have an equal opportunity to show my abilities no matter my age. Hernandez believes the CSUB is the best fit for her.
Hernandez didn´t make this decision on her own, she had a lot of help and support, she says, ¨My parents were the biggest reason. They have put so much time and money into me and I really wanted them to be able to watch me at all my home games.¨ Hernandez also says that her parents helped her go with her gut and gave her the confidence to verbally commit.
Hernandez went down to Bakersfield to tour the school campus. When asked about the tour, Hernandez says, ¨The tour was amazing! I started by taking pictures in all of the gear in the locker room and then I went and had game day lunch with the entire team. After I spend 2 hours with the other freshmen and we just clicked which made me feel more comfortable with my transition over there.¨ Hernandez feels that the tour to CSUB was the cherry on top to her decision. Hernandez says, ¨I couldn´t be more excited and proud to be able to play there!¨
Cody Abney
Cody Abney '25 is a second year writer for the Redwood Gigantea. He is interested in writing for the Sports and Arts and Entertainment. Abney is a very dedicated writer and specializes in feature pieces.
Tags: Chance Jasso, Cody Abney, humans of redwood, sports