Of all the great players to come through the Sonoma State women's soccer program in the last 25 years, Amy Apodaca may have been the best. A simply dominating presence on the field, Apodaca holds the distinction of being the only student-athlete from a team sport to earn All-American honors in three different years.
Apodaca came to Sonoma State in 1996 and made an impact right away with five goals and an assist. Her first NSCAA All-American honor came as a sophomore in '97 when she was recognized as one of the top sweepers in the entire nation.
Moved into the midfield as a junior in 1998, Apodaca had perhaps her finest season as she scored nine goals and assisted on five others. She led the Cossacks to an 20-0 start as they reached the NCAA Division II National Championship game. Their 22 wins for the season set an NCAA Division II record for most wins in a season. Individually, Apodaca got her second straight First Team All-American nod.
In 1999, Apodaca added CCAA Player of the Year honors with an eight goal, two assist season despite moving back to defender for much of the season. She put another First Team All-American honor on her mantle and closed out her career with 23 goals and 54 points, then top ten totals in each category. Even more impressive when you consider that she played defense for most of her career.
