Cortez’s soccer journey has officially reached NWSL

Maui High grad ‘still wrapping my head around’ joining Wave

Chai Cortez's soccer adventure has officially reached the National Women's Soccer League.

Cortez, a Maui High School and University of Oregon graduate, was signed by the San Diego Wave last week as a national team replacement player.

While she hasn't appeared in either of the two matches she has dressed for, the remarkable climb up the ladder for Cortez, a 5-foot-3, left-footed defender, has continued -- she is the first Maui Interscholastic League graduate to officially make it to the NWSL.

"I think I'm still wrapping my head around it a little bit because it's just something that I kind of dreamed of since I was like 7," Cortez said via phone on Sunday. "I think I made that pretty evident to anybody who was around me, so I think that now that this opportunity came forth and the signing is something that's kind of like -- how do I want to say it? -- like a once-in-a-lifetime feeling.

"You know what I mean? You don't forget your first in anything. I'm still trying to wrap my head around it, I'm still trying to find the ropes and everything, but the girls, the coaching staff, the performance staff has been absolutely amazing."

Cortez is taking it slow, even as the new experiences catch her by surprise nearly every day. Her next chance to see the field will be when the Wave host the Washington Spirit on Saturday at Snapdragon Stadium.

The Wave stand sixth in the 12-team NWSL with a 6-6-2 record and their 20 points are just six behind league-leader North Carolina.

Cortez, who will celebrate her 23rd birthday on July 18, finished her career at Oregon tied for seventh in career assists (11) and 10th in games played (79). She started all 18 games for the Ducks in 2022 and was second on the team in minutes played (1,590).

"I'm kind of just taking it all in, taking it one step at a time, and just being there for my team and my teammates right now," Cortez said.

Cortez was with the Houston Dash for preseason camp in January, just a couple months after her career in Eugene ended.

"I was only in Houston for a couple of weeks, you know, I experienced my first preseason camp there and it was a shock," Cortez said. "I was putting my physical, my mental and my spiritual body on another level that I've never really taken it to before, so I think it was all a learning process."

The lessons were tough at times.

"I'm so grateful that they gave me a look and a perspective into what is needed to take to get to this level," Cortez said. "And unfortunately with me putting my body through all of this extreme measures, I ended up getting hurt at Houston and I ended up getting sent back to L.A., where I got rehab and training.

"It kind of made me think, you know, 'Is this something I want to do? What does that look like for me? Am I willing to put my body through these extreme measures in order for me to continue?' "

The answer turned out to be yes.

"I think the next couple months with the support staff, my family, my friends, my partner helping me figure it out, because it was kind of like, 'Oh my goodness, I come from college, I played almost every minute every game to like I'm competing with literally the best of the best,' so I think it was kind of a reality check for me," Cortez said. "For me to be, like, 'OK, is this something I want to do?' And I came to the conclusion that this is something I wanted to do.

"So, I continued to pray, continued to confide in my support staff and I kept my head down and fortunately San Diego reached out to me saying this opportunity will come if I wanted to come try out. I was here for two weeks before I got the word that they would be keeping me on board."

The injury in Houston was a hip strain, something that Cortez has dealt with for much of her five-year NCAA Division I career through the Pac-12.

"Unfortunately I'm a grandma now, so I had to take care of my body more than just going out there on the field," she said. "I was out for eight weeks or so, so I was out for a while and when you're out of this game you're kind of like, 'Oh my goodness, am I late?' This and that. So, fortunately I was able to train in L.A., get the rehab I needed between L.A. and home."

She passed her physical with the Wave on June 27 and was officially announced as one of three national team replacement signees by the club the same day.

The Wave had games Wednesday and Saturday last week and although Cortez didn't take the field during either one, she is relishing the moment.

"You have your 26 roster players, but the work just doesn't stop there," she said. "I'm competing every day for all of this stuff, to put on a jersey. So, again, I didn't know that. It's me being naive and being the rookie, you know what I mean? So, I think I've come to the realization that I need to just work to put on a jersey and that's what makes it 100 times more special."

Cortez has to take a deep breath when she ponders being the first from Maui to wear an NWSL jersey.

"It's kind of surreal, like, I mean would I have wanted to get in the game? Yes, of course, but I feel like right now my role and taking on that responsibility is being there for my team and being present for my team and I think that's what I want to do to contribute," Cortez said. "It's just kind of crazy to think about it. I was just telling my parents, 'I don't think I've ever warmed up in front of that many people before.' I think that was a bit of a shock for me, but the girls and the coaching staff are so cool -- I think that I didn't even realize how many people were there until after the game when I had the chance to settle in."

Indeed, it was the end of the first match that the feeling of arrival descended upon Cortez.

"When the game time comes I have my glasses on, like I'm just focusing, tuning in, being there, being present for my team," she said. "So when the game ended I was just like, 'Oh, my gosh. This is crazy.' I don't think the butterflies set in until afterwards.

"I was moving around, shaking my teammates' and the opposing teammates' hands and I was just, like, it kind of had the feeling to me, like, 'Wow, this is crazy that I'm here.' "

* Robert Collias is at rcollias@mauinews.com.