Awards & Honors
- 2013 Second-Team NSCAA All-America
- 2013 Big Ten Defender of the Year
- 2013 Big Ten Tournament - Defender of the Tournament
- 2013 First Team NSCAA All-Great Lakes Region
- 2013 College Sports Madness First Team All-America Defender
- 2013 Big Ten All-Tournament Team
- Mexican National Team
- Mexican Under-20 National Team
- 2012 Second-Team All-Big Ten
- 2013 Kansas Invitational All-Tournament Team
- 2013 TopDrawerSoccer.com Best XI - Third Team Upperclassmen
- 2013 Soccer America MVPs Second Team
- Originally allocated to NWSL's Seattle Reign FC
- Taken in the 2014 NWSL Expansion Draft by the Houston Dash
- 2014 Tom Osborne Citizenship Team
- Mexico FIFA Women's World Cup Team Member (2015)
- Nebraska Scholar-Athlete Honor Roll (Fall 2011, 2015)
2013 (Senior)
Romero became a stalwart at center back for the Huskers throughout her career and flourished in her final season en route to a pair of Big Ten Championships. Romero was named Second-Team NSCAA All-America and became the 12th Husker All-American and claimed Nebraska's 18th NSCAA All-America award in school history.
The NSCAA All-Region First Team honoree and Big Ten Defender of the Year displayed a tireless work ethic as she worked every second of the final 15 matches on her way to averaging more than 91 minutes per match in 2013. With Romero's defensive influence, the Huskers amassed eight shuouts on the season.
Romero played every second of the final 15 matches of her career at Nebraska and played the entire match 18 times during the year. Aside from taking time out to compete for Mexico across the globe, Romero started in all 77 career matches.
The two-time all-conference defender notched her only point of the season on Oct. 27 at the Nebraska Soccer Field. She played all 103 minutes of the 3-2 overtime win against No. 16 Penn State on Jordan Jackson's eighth score of the year.
Romero was one one of four collegians to be called up for Mexico's women's nationally-televised international friendly against the United States of America in Washington, D.C. at RFK Stadium on Tuesday, Sept. 3. Romero started and played the entire match on a young back line for Mexico.
2012 (Junior)
Ari Romero had started every game of her Husker career entering her junior season, but missed the first five games of the 2012 season while playing for the Mexican Under-20 National Team at the FIFA U-20 World Cup in Japan.
Romero started all four of Mexico's games at the tournament, playing 360 minutes. She helped Mexico reach the quarterfinals of the 16-team tournament for the second straight time at the event.
Romero returned for Nebraska's game at Cincinnati on Sept. 2, and started the final 15 games of the season.
Romero was part of a defensive unit that posted three shutouts on the season, with Romero contributing to shutouts of Southeast Missouri State (4-0) and Northwestern (2-0).
Romero picked up her lone point of the season in a 2-1 loss to Purdue on Sept. 21 at the Nebraska Soccer Field. She posted an assist on Mayme Conroy's fifth goal of the season early in the first half that gave Nebraska a 1-0 lead, but the Boilermakers tied the game in the second half and went on to win in double overtime.
In the spring of 2013, Romero played in the Algarve Cup with the Mexican National team in Portugal.
An invitation-only tournament hosted by the Portuguese Football Federation, the Algarve Cup started in 1994 and is one of the most prestigious women's soccer events, alongside the World Cup and the Olympics. Mexico was one of 12 countries invited to the tournament and started in group play with Hungary, Wales and Portugal.
Romero played in three of Mexico’s four games, including a start against Wales during group play.
Mexico won their group with a pair of wins over Hungary (1-0) and Portugal (3-0), which placed them in the seventh-place game at the tournament. Denmark took the seventh-place game, 3-0, at Municipal Stadium in Lagos, Portugal.
Mexico played in the tournament for just the third time in tournament history and the first time since 2006.
2011 (Sophomore)
Romero started every game for the Huskers for the second straight season, while scoring one goal and adding two assists.
Romero was part of a defensive unit that posted three shutouts, including two shutouts during Big Ten play at Purdue (3-0) and at home against Iowa (1-0). Offensively, she added 13 shots in 18 games, including five on goal.
Romero had a career day against Arkansas on Sept. 2, as she scored her second career goal, contributed a career-high two assists and produced a career-high four points against the Razorbacks in a 6-0 win at the Nebraska Soccer Field.
After taking part in a training camp with the Mexican Under-20 National Team in July 2011, Romero was selected to be part of the Mexican National Team that competed at the CONCACAF Women's Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Vancouver, British Columbia, in January 2012. She was also on the under-20 team that competed at the CONCACAF Championships in Panama City, Panama, in February 2012.
2010 (Freshman)
Romero made an immediate contribution to the Husker defense in her first season at Nebraska. She was one of two freshmen, along with Maritza Hayes, to start all 21 games for Coach John Walker's Huskers.
Romero helped the Huskers notch five shutouts on the year, while contributing one goal and three assists.
Romero produced three shots on goal over the first 12 games of the season before knocking in the first goal of her career at Texas Tech on Oct. 3 to win the game in overtime. With the game knotted 4-4, Romero put in a header in the 92nd minute to give the Huskers their first conference road win of the season.
The first assist of her career came at home in a 4-1 win over Iowa State, while she also notched assists in each of Nebraska's two Big 12 Tournament games.
High School
Romero did not participate in high school soccer, instead putting her focus and time toward her club squad. Academically, she held a perfect 4.0 grade-point average and was on the honor roll at Willow Canyon High School.
Other Information
Romero was heavily active in club soccer in Phoenix, Ariz., for Sereno SC under Coach Dave Simeone. The midfielder/defender helped the Sereno 92 Golden Eagles to eight state championships and three Region IV semifinal appearances.
Additionally, her squad won 13 tournament titles and was a finalist at the Disney College Showcase.
Individually, Romero was on the 2009 Arizona Olympic Development Program team that advanced to the semifinals of the Region IV Championship.
Personal Information
Ari was born on July 29, 1992 in Glendale, Ariz. She is the daughter of Jose Romero and Carmen Tellez and has one brother, Cristian. Ari is a business administration major at Nebraska. She was named to the Nebraska Scholar-Athlete Honor Roll on two occasions.
Romero's Career Statistics
|
Year |
GP-GS |
Shots |
SOG |
Goals |
Assists |
Points |
| 2010 | 21-21 | 12 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 5 |
| 2011 | 18-18 | 13 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 4 |
| 2012 | 15-15 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 2013 | 22-22 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
|
Totals |
77-77 |
36 |
13 |
2 |
7 |
11 |
Romero's Career Highs
Points - 4 vs. Arkansas (9/2/11)
Goals - 1 (2x), last vs. Arkansas (9/2/11)
Assists - 2 vs. Arkansas (9/2/11)