By: Olga Gomez |
The woman’s soccer team is finishing up their last few exercises of practice and exhaustion is setting in. “Go!” yells Coach Garrett Smith. His demand ups the intensity.
It doesn’t matter how sweaty and tired the team is, they can still be heard shouting out words of encouragement to each other. From freshmen to seniors, they act as a team.
This is the polar opposite of the interactions freshman Cecilia Pedersen would have with her team back in Denmark. She described it as a culture shock.
“We were much more reserved in Denmark,” Pedersen said. “And coming here, everyone was so welcoming. I’m used to being in my own bubble and making friends from there. [UP] has made it easier for me being the new one [on the team.]”
The first time the University of Portland community saw Pedersen was on Aug. 28 as she battled in purple against Marquette. The first time UP felt Pedersen was three minutes into the game when, ten yards out of the goal, she scored the first goal of the game.
Pedersen had only been in the U.S. for about three days.
Pedersen’s experience playing for one of Denmark’s best soccer club teams, Brøndby, and Denmark’s U19 National Team makes her valuable on the field.
“We’re thrilled to have her as both a person and a player,” UP assistant coach Lisa Chambers said in a press release. “She has pace, she’s good in the air, she can score goals and she gets into position to set up goals. She can play multiple positions and is an attacking threat, and she’s eager to continue her development in our competitive environment.”
On the National Team, Pedersen made the cut to play on the European Championships, but suffered several injuries a week before tryouts and couldn’t qualify. Coming back three months later, Pedersen and her team played in La Manga, Spain in an international tournament.
Her teammates describe her as “funny, sweet, caring and unafraid of speaking her mind.”
This past weekend, Pedersen scored her second goal of the season during the Pilots’ first game of the 2015 Nike Portland Invitational. Substituting for Devlyn Jeter and playing for only eight minutes, Pedersen gave the Pilots their second goal of the night.
“She is very aggressive," Jeter said. "She likes to dribble and take on players. She is very smart and knows when to pass...very offensive mind set. I think that’s what our team needs.”
Olga Gomez is a sports reporter for The Beacon. She can be reached at gomezo18@up.edu or on Twitter @olgaagomezz.
