Soccer's Ashley Newland Q&A, delivered by RoadRunnerApp.com

Louisiana Athletics has teamed up with RoadRunnerApp.com to offer a new series on RaginCajuns.com in which student-athletes share details on how they've adjusted during the COVID-19 pandemic, and offer insight into their personal lives.

In this final installment in a series of Q&A feature articles, you will "Get to Kneaux" Ragin' Cajuns soccer midfielder Ashley Newland. A first-year starter in 2019, Newland played in 18 matches and helped Louisiana to a 9-8-3 record. One of four captains for the 2020 season, Newland has played in 32 career matches for the Ragin' Cajuns.

What has become your daily routine during quarantine?
AN: "I have not had a consistent routine but it usually goes like this. Coffee first thing in the morning followed by an hour of reading and then breakfast. After breakfast I will watch New Girl and if it is warm and sunny outside, I tan in our backyard. Then, I eat lunch before I play futsal with some teammates in our parking lot. On the days we do not play, I'll get some ball work in. After futsal/training, I do our workout lift and run. This next part is my favorite. I will walk to Girard Park while listening to music, make my way to the top of the parking garage across the street, and then watch watch the sunset. After, before it gets too dark, I walk back home, shower, eat dinner with my roommates, make a cup of sleepy time tea, and lastly read before bed."

What has Head Coach Key's message to your team been during this unprecedented time?
AN: "Coach Key's message has been to remain optimistic and keep preparing the best way we can for the upcoming fall season. Also to remain safe and healthy while enjoying the quality time we have with our families."

How have you and your teammates stuck together remotely during this challenging time period?
AN: "Our team is divided up into four families. Within our family we have a group message where we consistently communicate about workouts and other life activities. We facetime weekly as well. Our team, as a whole, usually zooms weekly with the entire staff. Then on Thursday nights we have team bonding over zoom with quiz night!"

An important question: what is your favorite food?
AN: "It is a tie between sushi and pizza!"

Take us back to when you decided to come to the University and become a Ragin' Cajun. What about the school helped you make that decision?
AN: "There were a lot of different aspects of UL that aided my decision to commit here. The campus first of all caught my attention with the red brick buildings, the large trees that draped over the side walks, and the swamp. Then the sport facilities were love at first sight. Our training room, weight room, field, and locker room were the best I have ever seen. The team was also so welcoming and the old coaches seemed like a good fit at the time. Lastly, the Cajun culture is so unique, and I thought it would be an interesting life experience to live in a place so different from my home town."

What is your earliest sports memory?
AN: "My earliest sports memory was when I first started playing soccer in Kindergarten. I was on a team full of boys and only two girls, including me. At the beginning of the season, the other girl broke her arm so it was just me playing against the boys. I remember not being afraid to play hard with and against the boys and showing them up a few times too."

Growing up, your sports hero was who? And why?
AN: "Growing up my sports hero/mentor was and still is Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson. I started admiring him in high school. The Rock is someone who has had a lot obstacles and failures in his life but persisted against them successfully. He is the definition of hard work, positivity, and resiliency. He is a positive energy and an inspiration to anyone. I aspire to be just like that."

What is your major, and what about it do you like most?
AN: "My major is business management. I like that when I go out into the business world my major is broad enough to help me go in a number of different directions successfully. It has provided me with classes that are applicable to daily life and even soccer."

What class have you enjoyed most at the University so far?
AN: "The class that I have enjoyed the most at UL has been my Marketing 345 class. It was the first class that I not only thoroughly enjoyed attending but also found the information to be interesting. It also gave me a direction of interest for a possible career path."

What are your plans after your academic and athletic career at Louisiana is done?
AN: "I have not yet decided on a career path. When I graduate with my master in business administration and my athletics has come to an end, I hope to find a job that requires me to travel globally."

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Soccer's Ashley Newland Q&A, delivered by RoadRunnerApp.com

Players Mentioned

Ashley Newland

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