Aptos High senior Alexa Castañeda has left behind an everlasting legacy on campus after four phenomenal years on the pitch with the girls soccer program.
The Mariner star forward/midfielder aims to carry on her voyage this upcoming fall, and it won’t be too far from home.
Castañeda this past weekend announced her verbal commitment to attend Fresno State University to play for the women’s soccer team starting in August.
“It feels really good, definitely a weight off my shoulders,” Castañeda said. “So exciting to know where I’m gonna go next year.”
Castañeda visited other schools across the country, going as far as New York, but she couldn’t find a connection with either one.
“I didn’t feel like it was somewhere that I wanted to go for different reasons,” Castañeda said.
As soon as she stepped foot on Fresno State’s campus, Castañeda said there was an immediate sense of a supportive community similar to her hometown in Watsonville.
“Just like family, basically,” Castañeda said. “And it was definitely something that stuck out to me right when I got there.”
Castañeda was highly recruited by Fresno State first-year head coach Gabriel Bolton, who at the time was at Stanislaus State for the past 21 seasons at the helm.
Bolton led Stanislaus to 11 postseason appearances—four NCAA and 12 California Collegiate Athletic Association championship tournaments. He was the most successful coach in the program’s history, finishing with a 223-123-48 overall record.
Bolton stayed in contact with Castañeda, asking her to play for him at Fresno State, which is an NCAA Division I school and member of the Pac-12 Conference.
“The coach is important but I feel like the environment is more important to me,” Castañeda said.
Castañeda doesn’t anticipate seeing too much time on the pitch during her first year with the Bulldogs, yet she’ll remain positive and attempt to be the best version of herself.
“Any way that I can contribute to the team is something that I want to do and look forward to,” Castañeda said. “I’m going for soccer, but I just don’t want to focus so much on minutes instead of having a good time, and getting better over time.”
Aptos head coach Gina Castañeda is one of her daughter’s biggest cheerleaders from the sideline and at home.
Gina Castañeda noted that Alexa’s stats might not pop out on paper, yet it was her ability to make big plays in key moments when nobody else could step up.
One of those moments happened against The King’s Academy during the Central Coast Section Division III finals.
Alexa Castañeda scored the game-winning goal in the 65th minute, helping the Mariners secure their first-ever section title in the program’s history.
She was twice named the Santa Cruz Coast Athletic League’s Player of the Year in 2024 and ‘26, adding more accolades to her illustrious prep career.
“[Alexa’s] work ethic and hard work, and what she contributes to this program is unheard of,” Gina Castañeda said. “It’s not just this year, it’s been four years. She takes accountability, she works hard and it’s her leadership on the field.”
The soccer bloodline runs deep within the Castañedas. Gina (class of 1993) was a four-year varsity starter, and part of two squads that won SCCAL crowns in ‘90 and ‘92.
Alexa Castañeda tallied 132 total points (44 goals and 44 assists) in four years at Aptos, finishing second to her sister Jazmine (class of 2022) with 173 total points (65 goals and 43 assists).
“[Alexa’s] so skilled and has a huge vision of the game that just puts her over and beyond,” Gina Castañeda said.
Alexa Castañeda recently earned a spot on the 2008 Girls Olympic Development National Select team. They are set to travel to Spain for nine days in April to play against some top-tier competition.
It wasn’t an easy journey for Castañeda, though. She got cut the first three years of trying out for the ODP team, realizing her spot on the team wasn’t going to come to her.
“I wanted to be on the team because I wanted to prove people wrong. I can make it, I am good enough,” Castañeda said. “That was something that inspired me when I was younger…getting chosen for Spain, I felt grateful for everybody that’s helped throughout my journey, especially my mom for making me try out and push myself to be a better player.”
