Dominican University Athletics

Mayra (Camacho) Ortiz's arrival at Dominican University coincided with Jeff Halsema's first season at the helm of the Stars' women's soccer program in 2005. "Coach Halsema was demanding, which in turn made us demand the best of each other. Accountability was a huge factor in the development of the program. We had to get the little things right to get better." said Ortiz.

Together the duo helped lay a foundation for success as Dominican won just under 70% of the games she played in, including three double-digit win seasons that concluded with Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference tournament appearances.

In her rookie season, the forward led the nation in goals per game (1.42) with 27 goals in 19 games. "Being a freshman, I was somewhat shy and, I held back. I think Coach Halsema knew that and, I remember him telling me early on in my career, 'Look, the more shots you take, the more chances you will get to score.' "Those simple words freed me up to take a shot every opportunity I could and, it just became easier as each game went on," added Ortiz.

To date, she holds the women's soccer program records for points in a game (14), season assists (14), and career points per game (2.85) while sitting in a tie for first in goals in a game (6). Her 194 career points, 86 career goals and, 28 career game-winning goals remained first all-time for over a decade. Josseline Williams surpassed those marks in 2019.

In 2005, she was named to the D3Kicks.com all-region team, the first all-region honor for a Dominican University women's soccer player in program history. Ortiz looks back on her accomplishments and career with pride, "The all-region selection was a recognition of the hard work that we put in throughout the year, the old cliché of hard work paying off. It was an honor to be part of the Dominican University women's soccer program and help lay the foundation for winning."