Las Positas Women's soccer Haley Chitwood star to transfer to Ottawa University

LIVERMORE - Haley Chitwood is ready for her next move.

The Las Positas College soccer star expressed excitement about transferring to Ottawa University in Surprise, Arizona, an NAIA school well-suited for her athletic and academic pursuits. As a Christian school, Ottawa also fits her religious faith.

Las Positas soccer coach Andy Cumbo thinks Ottawa is getting a winner in Chitwood, the Coast Conference Freshman Player of the Year in 2019 as a defender.

“She is an excellent leader, very caring and thoughtful of her teammates and coaches,” Cumbo said. “She’s been one of my most favorite players to work with in my career; she’s talented, competitive, excellent under pressure, and genuinely cares about those around her.”

Chitwood, who plans to major in psychology and work with those with special needs in her career, heard about the university from a relative in Arizona. She reached out to the coach and decided to make the move after visiting the campus and meeting the team.

“It was a really fun experience,” she said of the trip.“They were so welcoming.”

Family ties mean a lot to Chitwood, who excelled at Kennedy High in Fremont for four years on the varsity soccer team coached by her mom, Michelle. Mother and daughter also worked at Bronco Billy’s Pizza Palace in Fremont at the time. Clearly, they made quite a team.

“It was definitely interesting because I lived with her, I worked with her at the time at her restaurant, and I was on the soccer field, so we spent a lot of time together,” Haley recalled. “I think it made us even closer than we already were.”

In a thriving Kennedy program, Haley was a three-time first-team all-league selection and a four-time scholar-athlete. Haley’s mom emphasized tenacity.

“She taught me how to never give up and continue fighting, no matter what the score is. That’s the most important thing she taught me on the field and off the field,” Haley recalled.

After high school, Chitwood moved on to UNLV, where things didn’t go well. Everything turned around after she transferred to Las Positas. She helped the Hawks win the 2019-20 Coast Conference-North title with a 9-0-2 record, and then the team advanced to Round II of the NorCal Regional playoffs. Moreover, the camaraderie among the players made the experience extra special.

“I would consider everyone on that team like my family at this point,” Chitwood said. “I’m sad to leave but excited to move on. It’s been great.”

She views Cumbo as more than a coach but as a friend and mentor.

“He’s so great about school, soccer,” Chitwood said. “He always puts school first, which I think is so important. I’m really grateful for the bond that we’ve created, because I really look up to him a lot. He’s a really great person.”

Chitwood, who now lives in Tracy, transitioned to outside defender at Las Positas but expects to move back to the middle at Ottawa.

Cumbo couldn’t say enough good things about her game, calling her technically sound.

“She’s excellent on both sides of the ball: great anticipation, timing and aggressiveness on defense; and skilled, creative, safe and effective on the ball,” Cumbo said. “She also dominates in the air. She is a fierce competitor, pushes herself harder than a coach can, and has the gift that high-level competitors do: she is the one responsible on game day for the final outcome.”

But Chitwood does not want the whole story to be about her, noting that her teammates at Las Positas played a key role in her success.

“Honestly, I wouldn’t be where I am without them,” she said. “They’ve helped me so much on and off the field.”