Rutgers-Newark Athletics

By Jim Hague
 
Ever since she was a little girl growing up in East Brunswick, N.J, Cristina Estremera had some staples in her life.
 
Estremera had the influence of her father, Miguel, had the sport of soccer and the knowledge of a school like Rutgers-Newark.
 
Miguel Estremera worked in the registrar’s office at Rutgers-Newark for several years and introduced his daughter to the school at a very young age.
 
“There were a lot of ‘take your daughter to work’ days when I was growing up,” Estremera said.
 
Miguel Estremera was also a standout soccer player during his younger days and wanted his daughter to learn the sport as well.
 
“He would take me to the park and teach me about soccer,” Estremera said. “He taught me everything I know about the game. He gave me everything I have. He coached both my brother and my sister and taught me everything. He was my biggest inspiration.”

The elder Estremera guided his daughter through a standout career at East Brunswick High School and she earned her share of accolades and Division I soccer scholarships, like Drexel and NJIT.
 
But there was no doubt of where Estremera was going to college.
 
“All of my family went to Rutgers-Newark,” Estremera said. “There’s like a legacy there. I fell in love with the school at a young age. If it weren’t for my Dad, I wouldn’t have wound up at Rutgers-Newark.”
 
It turned out to be the best recruiting coupe for R-N head women’s soccer coach Bill Bustamante.
 
“Cristina is a player who could have played anywhere,” Bustamante said. “We were fortunate to be able to get her and we’re fortunate to have her to be part of our program. When I heard she was here, it put a big smile on my face.”
 
Bustamante knew that Estremera was a program-making player.
 
“When I saw Cristina player, I saw such a competitive player,” Bustamante said. “I knew she would be the kind of player who could get everyone else to become better. She was so committed to becoming a better player and she wanted that for the team as well.”
 
“I came from a pretty competitive background in high school and club soccer,” Estremera said. “Coming here was a little bit of a shock, but we grew tremendously and in a hurry. We changed the program tremendously. I hope that helped me grow as a person. I wanted to become a leader on the field. I think the first two years helped me with my patience.”
 
When the 2014 season began, the Scarlet Raiders had higher expectations than ever before.
 
“We had a lot of freshmen come in and some transfers,” Estremera said. “I knew that we would be better.”
 
“Her expectations were high from the start,” Bustamante said. “I value that. She wanted to win the NJAC, wanted to make the NCAA Tournament. She’s not satisfied by just having the best season ever. She wants more.”

As it turned out, Estremera led the Scarlet Raiders to their best season in the history of the women’s soccer program at Rutgers-Newark. A year after posting a 5-14-1 record, the Scarlet Raiders won 12 matches and qualified for the New Jersey Athletic Conference tournament for the first time.
 
Bustamante was rewarded by being named then NJAC Coach of the Year and the team’s second leading scorer (eight goals, five assists) was named to the All-NJAC First Team after earning honorable mention honors for each of her first two seasons.
 
“She’s a talented, dynamic player,” Bustamante said. “She is so dynamic with the ball. She’s a distributor, a scorer. She could play forward if she had to, but she’s much better at center midfield. She’s so valuable there. When she’s on, she’s special to watch. I knew she was capable of having a season like this. She’s been free to demonstrate her skills because she has better players around her. All she needed was to let the game come to her. We knew it was always there. She just needed a supporting case, but she’s definitely the highlight of our team.”
 
Estremera was reluctant to take credit for the team’s dramatic improvement, from five wins to 12.
 
“Every player stepped it up this year,” Estremera said. “Everyone has been tremendous. I needed to deal with my frustration that I had in the past. I think this year helped me with my patience. Last year, if we had trouble scoring, I felt responsible. But being the captain this year gave me a lot more responsibility and that has helped me to be better than I was in the past.”

Estremera is a biology major at R-N, with the hope of getting into the world of physical therapy. She credited the work of graduate student assistant coach Ariana Ruela, who helped to keep Estremera under control.
 
“She did a lot of work with me in terms of fitness and training,” Estremera said. “I’m a lot more confident now since she’s been around.”

If there is one regret to Estremera’s success, it’s that Miguel isn’t around to see his little girl excel. Miguel Estremera passed away two years ago after a battle with cancer.
 
“He did get to see me play here my freshman year,” Estremera said of her late father. “He saw me play a few games and was really excited about that.”
 
Just imagine Miguel Estremera’s excitement these days if he had the chance to see his daughter perform for the Scarlet Raiders at the school he loved so much.