Ashley Friedrichs is looking to take the next step in 2021
Whether it’s on the pitch or in the classroom, Sam Houston State junior midfielder Ashley Friedrichs is always looking to get better and take on new challenges.
Back in 2014, Friedrichs got a chance to get called into camp with the Mexican youth national team, qualifying for dual-citizenship due to her mother being born in Mexico. “The biggest lesson I took from the camp was to go into every 50/50 full out,” she explained to BGN. “The Mexican National team are very scrappy players and it taught me it doesn’t always have to be pretty as long as you win the ball that’s all that matters.”
Also before becoming a Sam Houston State Bearkat, Ashley was able to get her Associate’s degree in high school, allowing her to pursue a Master’s degree in Business Management already in 2021. She said, “My high school offered a dual credit program completely free of charge to students who had a certain GPA and passed all the states test. I went to a junior college my junior and senior year and received my Associate’s of Science 1 week before graduating high school.”
On the pitch, Sam Houston State has improved over Friedrichs’ time at the school. In 2018, the team finished 3-12-3. Then, in 2019, they bumped their record up to 7-11-1. Discussing how they can build on that momentum in the 2021 NCAA spring season, Ashley said, “We made a lot of progress in the fall. We were able to really dissect and concentrate on learning our positions and learning to work as a team.”
Individually, she went from playing 14 matches and starting zero as a freshman to playing in 19 matches and starting 17 as a sophomore. With the midfielder still looking for her first career goal or assist, Friedrichs has been trying to perfect her craft. “The area of the game I worked on the most is my first touch going towards the area I want to go and always being an outlet to switch the point of attack,” she said.
WE’RE BACK!!!!
See you tomorrow at 6:30pm at Pritchett Field for your Bearkats first home game of the season!!!!#EatEmUpKats pic.twitter.com/aYW8yRIVZd
— Sam Houston Soccer (@BearkatsSOC) February 11, 2021
Now, after binge-watching shows like Outer Banks and All-American during the lockdown, Friedrichs is back out on the pitch for the first time since 2019 to showcase her improved skills and help Sam Houston State continue to trend upwards. “I am so excited to get back out there, it has been a long 15 months without playing a game,” Ashley said before playing 75 minutes in the club’s season opener on 2/12. After the 1-0 loss to Northwestern State, Ashley Friedrichs and the Bearkats will look to bounce back when their schedule resumes after their two weekend matches were postponed due to inclement weather.
