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Top: Freshman forward Amanda Hjalmarsson takes a corner kick.
Below: Freshman midfielder Matilda Östergaard shows her moves against Eckerd College. |
Sweden’s largest soccer magazine featured a Florida Tech soccer player in the September issue of Match magazine. Freshman midfielder Matilda Östergaard was featured in an article called “The American Way.”
Ulf Jörnvik, a writer for Match, touched on the advantages collegiate soccer can provide, namely the combination of a strong education and the chance to further develop as a soccer player. Östergaard, majoring in psychology, values the priority American coaches place on academics. That teamed with the success of women’s soccer in the United States provides an appealing option for international athletes.
Östergaard has proved to be a force in the midfield for the Panthers this season. She’s started 10 of 13 games played, scored two goals and registered one assist. But Östergaard is just one of four Swedish players on the Florida Tech soccer team. Sophomore midfielder Therese Svensson, freshman forward Amanda Hjalmarsson and redshirt freshman Paula Lillsjö round out the Swedish Panthers.
Head coach Fidgi Haig believes the girls bring a lot to his team. He lists composure, creativity, quick vision and focus as strong points in the Swedish players, but he also marvels at the differences between the four.
“Matilda is good on the ball under pressure. She has great dribbling ability,” Haig said. “She makes something happen from nothing, but she’s still getting used to the game speed.
Once she gets that under control, she’ll be twice as dangerous.”
Svensson is the oldest and has one year of play under her belt. Last season she started all 18 games and scored six goals. This season she’s added playmaking abilities to her repertoire with four assists and three goals.
“Therese is an all-around player. She’s athletic and quick,” Haig said. “She’s tremendous with both feet. She creates a lot of trouble offensively.”
Hjalmarsson started the season providing offensive depth, but midway earned the starting nod from Haig. It’s easy to see why. Hjalmarsson registered two assists and four goals and showed unmatched accuracy on passes, shots and corner kicks.
“Amanda is an attacking player, but she’s more creative,” Haig said. “She sees things well and does well under pressure. Once she’s used to this style of game, she’ll make more of an impact.”
When it comes to Lillsjö, there is excitement brewing in anticipation of what she’ll add to the team next season. She’s shown excellent speed and quickness in practice, as well as strong tackling ability. She’s displayed such versatility that Haig has yet to decide what position she’ll play.
“Paula is energetic. She covers a lot of space and tackles strong. Of the four, she plays most like an American,” Haig said. “She’s physical but also composed. She’s also a vocal leader who plays many different positions.”
For the attributes each girl brings to the game, Haig believes they will improve from playing in the United States.
“The American game helps because it’s faster and more physical,” Haig said. “The style, competitiveness and athleticism they face here can help complete their skills.”
Each girl noticed differences in the way Americans play. Hjalmarsson points out that due to the physicality, soccer can become a more individual game here. Because of that, Östergaard noticed American teams don’t necessarily use the same tactics a Swedish team might use.
Svensson says the team’s success is most important in Sweden and there are times when a player might not even know individual statistics. Lillsjö thinks that’s a direct effect of the Swedish culture.
“In Sweden, we don’t want to stick out,” Lillsjö said. “We’re happy in the background, and it isn’t necessarily like that here.”
Despite some of the differences, the girls have had no problems adjusting. Svensson said she loves American people because she is social like them. Lillsjö believes American extroverts make adjusting easy.
All of them agree it’s hard to feel homesick because everything is so different. For that reason they aren’t reminded of home too often. But there have been minor challenges.
“They say math is the universal language, but it’s definitely not,” Östergaard said. “They have different letters in different places, and it can get pretty confusing.”
Language places an extra burden on the girls. Lillsjö points out that when they learned the language it was for everyday conversation. They didn’t learn the words they might need to know to succeed in science for example.
But on the field it’s all soccer. That’s the reason the girls wanted to come. It was the best way to travel, like their Swedish friends, but still play soccer.
“In Europe soccer isn’t just one of the sports, it’s the sport,” Svensson said. “You want to play soccer from birth.”
Östergaard even had her high school graduation rescheduled because of a Swedish national team soccer match.
Their drive to succeed in soccer should help each girl, as well as the Panthers. They helped Florida Tech compile a 9-5-2 record in 2007 and were 4-1-2 on their home turf.
In addition to the four Swedish soccer players on the women’s team, there are 41 international athletes representing 12 Florida Tech teams. All bring a different level of experience and a different skill set to their squads. And at a school with a large international population, those athletes are in good company.
Joshua Flanagan |
