While most toddlers are mastering their newly developed walking and running skills at 3 years old, Hazel Ramos was already kicking a ball around the soccer field.
Back then, she was still finding her balance in life, but also in the sport that she would come to know and love.
Now, 15 years later, the Cienega High School senior is anything but off-balance on the pitch.
“I fell in love with it after I first started playing,” Ramos says. “I’ve played all the levels, from rec league to state league, and I play in (FC Tucson’s) Girls Academy, and then now, in high school.”
Since starting at Cienega, she’s been a constant on the girls soccer team that has made the state tournament for the last four years, including last season, where the Bobcats went 11-1 overall.
This season, Cienega is at a 5-4 record overall, with the team winning four straight at the beginning of the season, followed by four straight losses — three against Phoenix-area teams at the Holiday Extravaganza Soccer Tournament and one against Mica Mountain on Jan. 12.
Cienega's Hazel Ramos (1) dribbles by a Pueblo defender during a home game, Jan. 14.
However, the Bobcats bounced back a mere two days later after their loss to Mica Mountain, by taking down Pueblo 12-0 on Jan. 14.
Ramos had a goal and two assists for four points during the Pueblo match, bringing her season totals to nine goals, three assists and 21 points as of Jan. 19.
The Bobcats have five games remaining in the regular season.
“We're very lucky to have been, I would say, a top 10 team in the last, at least six to seven years here at Cienega,” says Tony Torres, Cienega’s head girls soccer coach. “She's just another example of a player that is signed to play collegiately. That's what makes us different and special as a program, is that it's not just players that play soccer, it's players that play at the next level.
“So, she continues that legacy. That's kind of her culture, her work ethic. We have the word ‘grit’ on our shirts. When we're talking about grit, we're talking about playing beyond herself. And so that grit part, she's good, she works hard and she perseveres.”
Hazel Ramos, a senior varsity soccer player at Cienega High School cheers on her teammates from the sidelines during a match against Pueblo, Jan. 14.
This season, Ramos is currently No. 66 in Arizona for goals (9). In the 5A Southern region, she’s listed at No. 3. She’s also earned the No. 74 and No. 195 spots for points (21) and assists (3), as of press time.
Throughout her high school career, she’s recorded 33 goals and 28 assists for 94 points.
“It's a lot of competitiveness and it just fuels me,” Ramos says. “And I've met so many lifelong friends and I think that playing with your friends and playing for your school, that's more pride for me.”
Sister, sister, sister
Ramos isn’t the first in her family to don a high school soccer jersey.
Her oldest sister, Hailey, who recently played for the U.S. Air Force Academy, was a soccer all-star at Buena in Sierra Vista, where the Ramos family lived before moving to Tucson.
Her older sister, Hannah, was a standout at Cienega before graduating in 2024. She currently plays for Illinois Tech.
Cienega's Hazel Ramos (1) warms up ahead of the match against Pueblo High School, Jan. 14.
All three Ramos sisters have earned various accolades during their high school years, including all-region first-team selections.
And while the younger Ramos, 18, is still in high school, she’s next in line to play collegiate soccer, too.
“I think there's a lot of added pressure, but also excitement, because there were many different levels that my sisters played at, D1 and D3, so I think it's just really exciting to try and either match them or beat them,” Ramos says.
Ramos has received a few offers from colleges to play soccer, but has narrowed her choices down to three: Illinois Tech (just like her sister), Ottawa University or Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.
With her skills on the field and her 4.0 GPA, Ramos is on the right track to make a name for herself in college soccer.
After committing, Ramos would like to study engineering when she begins college next fall.
The Cienega girls varsity soccer team chants before the second half against Pueblo at Cienega High School, Jan. 14.
Unbreakable Bobcat bond
Ramos has been part of her fair share of soccer teams. Everything from youth teams to the elite FC Tucson Women’s team, which she is still a member of today.
But no matter where she is, her favorite part of being on a team is bonding with the other players, especially at Cienega.
She loves going on road trips and taking on challenging opponents with her team. It’s part of what makes soccer so special to her.
And now that her time as Bobcat is coming to a close, she only has one word to explain how she’s feeling about leaving: “bittersweet.”
“I love seeing everyone grow. I love seeing myself grow, as well,” she says. “When I was a freshman, I was very energetic, very immature, as well, but now I think I'm mature, and I just love seeing the little freshman (develop). It just reminds me of myself and it's just bittersweet. I want to leave, but I also don't.”
Cienega's Hazel Ramos poses for a photo ahead of the match against Pueblo High School, Jan. 14.
As winter soccer wraps up in a few weeks, Ramos is set to pass the torch to the next generation of Bobcats. And when she graduates this spring, she can breathe easy knowing she left her mark on Cienega soccer.
“Hazel's special and what I mean by that is she's special in the sense of her as a player,” Torres says. “She does things that not a lot of players do. And so that part, even when you look at boys at her level, some of the things she does, she has that. So that's one thing I would say is special. She is dynamic as a player. She changes the game and it can change either way. She changes the game when she wants to.”
Fast Five with Hazel
Who’s your favorite soccer player?
My playing style is trying to be like (Lionel) Messi, but no one can be Messi. I think Messi is my favorite.
Where’s your dream place to play soccer?
I think either the U.K. or South Korea. I think those two countries are really beautiful and I'd love to live there and play soccer on top of that.
What type of music do you listen to before a game?
I listen to anything that just calms my nerves. So anything from Steve Lacy or different genres like Spanish music or Filipino music, because I'm Filipino.
What’s your favorite Filipino snack?
I think cracklings. It's like a salt and vinegar chip and it's spicy, as well. Sometimes it's just really good.
What’s your favorite class in school right now?
Strength and conditioning with (Steve) Schween. I love Schween. He's our (strength and conditioning) coach. He helps out all the athletes and helps us get stronger. In the class, weights are my favorite.
