Ohio State then-senior defender Izzy Rodriguez (9) crosses the ball during the Ohio State-Central Florida game Sept. 2, 2021. Ohio State won 4-2. Credit: Lantern FIle Photo
It can happen right before your eyes. The flight of the ball through the air, the leap of the goalie, the scoreboard flickering up just 1 more point in your favor, the roar of the crowd, suddenly you’re a Big Ten Women’s soccer champion — now what?
For former Buckeyes Tiffany Cameron and Izzy Rodriguez, that was their reality. Cameron, who was part of the winning tournament team in 2012, and Rodriguez, who led the Buckeyes to the top of the conference table in 2017, left Columbus with one mission on their mind — the big leagues.
“Winning the Big Ten championship set really high standards for what I wanted to accomplish and what my standards were supposed to be,” Rodriguez said. “It gave me a lot of motivation and inspiration to just carry on that type of play.”
And carry on she did. After finishing up her four and a half years at Ohio State, Rodriguez was signed to play at FC Kansas City in the winter of 2021.
“I played in the U-20 World Cup my sophomore year, and playing with those girls made me consider the idea, but I was still on the fence because I didn’t know if I was going to be good enough,” Rodriguez said. “I found it was really hard to say goodbye to soccer my last year, so I knew I didn’t want to stop without at least trying to play.”
The transition from collegiate sport to a professional contract has a huge learning curve but Rodriguez said it only helped, rather than hindered her.
“One of the biggest things was my leadership in a college sport,” Rodriguez said. “That really translated into going professional because you had the experience of working with so many different people and learning how to manage not only them but yourself and how to play under that stress and develop relationships with other people on the field.”
Similarly to Rodriguez, Cameron was also signed directly after her senior year to Seattle Reign FC in 2012, which also happened to be the National Women’s Soccer League’s first season of operation.
“It was such an amazing moment for me and an honor to be a part of history,” Cameron said. “However, I really started to look to play overseas to try and develop as a player. The style of play is so different, you really have to be fast, so I didn’t start getting really refined and technically strong until I started to play in Europe.”
Getting her first taste of European soccer in 2014 by signing with Turn- und Sportgemeinschaft 1899 Hoffenheim, Cameron played for a handful of other teams in eight different leagues across Europe, even making three Champions League appearances with Apollon Limassol in 2015.
She currently plays for Real Betis Féminas. The club competes in Liga F, the top league in Spain.
“In college, it felt like you had to be very strong, very fast and very fit. The main difference between collegiate and professional play by far is the technical aspect of the game,” Cameron said. “Spain wasn’t a huge adjustment because I always knew I would have to use my body and speed so I was ready.”
Cameron has also made two World Cup appearances for Team Jamaica in both 2019 and 2023.
“Going to my first World Cup in 2019 was incredibly special. We made history, that was Jamaica’s first time ever playing in the World Cup,” Cameron said. “This year was the best year of my life, we actually made it to the round of 16 and we got to play with all the greats, France, Brazil and Panama. A lot of people doubted us but it was the biggest honor.”
Current Ohio State senior midfielder Peyton McNamara also made her first FIFA World Cup appearance alongside Cameron in 2023.
“To have two Buckeyes playing for Jamaica and making history is such an incredible experience,” Cameron said.
Regardless of league, level or continent, both women underline the importance of hard work.
“I would just give advice to work hard in whatever you’re doing it will pay off, that’s been a motto of mine,” said Rodriguez. “Women in sport have a lot to say and a lot to show, so it’s really important to work hard and get that message out there.”
As for their roots, both Cameron and Rodriguez attribute their drive and love for the game to their time spent on Ohio State’s pitch.
Cameron said in her junior year she told head coach Lori Walker-Hock that when her time as a Buckeye came to an end, she wanted to have done something really special — be the leading goal scorer. She said one thing she admires about Walker-Hock is that she always held them responsible for their dreams.
“I even had a vision board that I made, and it had a picture of me playing, and in the corner, I put a star with the number 20 on there,” said Cameron. “I knew I needed that number of goals to beat the current record, so I wanted to envision that; by the end of my senior year, I had scored 21 goals, and to this day I still hold the record for leading goal scorer for Ohio State.”
Singing its praises in a similar tune, Rodriguez championed the community that Ohio State provides for students, athletes or not.
“I think there’s nothing else like Ohio State,” Rodriquez said. “There are high expectations and standards and a level of excellence that a lot of other places just don’t have.”
