After only carrying two international players on last year’s roster that finished 9-8-4, San Diego State women’s soccer head coach Mike Friesen revamped the roster by adding four players from Canada and Europe to a roster that lacks experience yet has the hunger to succeed. 

Alexandra Myrestam is a freshman defender from Sweden. Although she has only appeared in two games, that has not stopped her from giving it her all during practice so she can be ready when called upon. As a multi-sport athlete growing up, Myrestam participated in gymnastics, track & field, volleyball and cross-country skiing. However, soccer always remained her biggest priority. 

“I feel like growing up, I always did two sports, and soccer was the one that was calling me all the time, and I kept changing out the second one,” Myrestam said. “I love [soccer], when you have a team that you’re with each other all the time, it is the friends [that] you connect with, and I just loved the whole community.” 

Adjusting to the pitch is one thing, but moving over 5,000 miles away from home and starting a new chapter in life on a different continent is another. One of the biggest obstacles for Myrestam is the time difference between home and San Diego, which can make it difficult to communicate with friends and family back home at times. 

“Sometimes it gets really hard, [I] have to call them during our morning when we have practice and stuff, but you have to prioritize practice, of course,” Myrestam said. “But you find the moments when you can call them, and even if it’s just five minutes, that gives you a lot to get through the day.” 

Ciara Jade Mitchell is a freshman forward from Vancouver, Canada. In her time leading up to SDSU, Mitchell spent her early years across various prestigious academies in the area. She even won the League 1 Canada Championship at Rise Academy.  

Amidst an eight-game unbeaten streak in which she featured in four of them, Mitchell’s mentality has never changed. Such a thought process is vital as a member of a young squad that features eight true freshmen and only one senior. 

“I’ve gone into every game as if the other team’s better than us [but] that we can compete with anyone and have the confident mindset,” Mitchell said. “I think that coming in as a younger player, knowing my team is there and that they have my back, and that I just [have] to become more confident in myself… [then] I can do what’s needed for everyone else so we can keep winning.” 

Having that growth mindset is what has earned Mitchell seven overall appearances, including four starts in a row. She hopes to build on that success as her debut season at the Mesa goes along. 

Eva Vespa is another Canadian freshman forward on this year’s squad. Born in Quebec, Vespa has played for various Montreal clubs while also training with U19 squads at FC Barcelona and AS Roma. The adjustment to collegiate soccer has also impacted her, despite bringing 10 years of experience across various Canadian academies and the two European teams previously mentioned. 

“I think it was a big adjustment at the beginning, coming in as a freshman, all of our team are young players,” Vespa said. Yet, she did take some lessons from the early defeats against No. 2 Stanford and No. 25 Texas Tech. 

“As the game went on, we progressed and learned we can compete against these teams… It’s just our mindset and our will to want to win,” Vespa said. “I think [learning] our strengths and weaknesses and work with that and just be able to play with each other.” 

Mia Hambro Svendsen is a freshman defender from Norway, and she has featured in all SDSU’s 11 games this season. In her first year as an Aztec, Hambro Svendsen has played a key role amongst a defense that has only conceded eight goals in the 10 games following the 4-0 opening game defeat against Texas Tech. Head coach Mike Friesen knows how difficult the transition can be, but also believes in her skillset and the improvement she’s demonstrated as the year has gone on. 

“First of all, she came in as a very good player… for Mia coming in, she already had a huge foundation for having success in terms of the environment she’s been in,” Friesen said. “Where she’s improved over the year is learning what we want to do, how we want to play and learning the college game, which is very different from the international game.” 

In contrast to international play, collegiate soccer allows a player to re-enter the game. The style of play is also more athletic and physical in comparison to Europe. Although she has only been here for two months, Hambro Svendsen herself notices such differences. 

“I feel like here it’s much more athletic, the lifting before we go out to practice, there’s a lot of different rules here that we don’t have back home,” Hambro Svendsen said. “The subbing makes the speed of the game higher.” 

With Mountain West action in full swing, the Aztecs are currently amidst a three-game road trip, including their recent 1-1 draw at Fresno State on Oct. 2. This stretch will test the young group, but Hambro Svendsen knows her teammates are there to support. 

“They let us [make] mistakes, and I feel like they help us by getting into new environments,” Hambro Svendsen said. “They want us to be at our best, so [being in] such a team where we help each other, I think that’s big.” 

The Aztecs return home on Oct. 16 against Boise State. Having four of their last five games at home will be a massive boost for the stretch run, as this group of new internationals looks to bring a second Mountain West regular-season title in three years back to the Mesa.