Matthew Galdi
Contributing Writer
Three Dominican University women’s soccer players will travel 5,300 miles to the sandy white beaches of Brazil to represent the United States and showcase their abilities among some of Brazil’s best talent.
Sophia Bartridge, Ashley Ishman, and Alexandria Canarelli solidified their spots on USA’s NCAA Division Three (D3) Brazil Tour with players around the country that received All-Region, All-American and All-Conference awards from the NCAA this past year.
18 players. Five different universities. 11 different home states. The USA D3 team sets out to dance their way through the tour beginning May 29 through June 7. Each player representing the United States was recruited by the head coach of this year’s tour, Andrew Gamarra, the head coach of North Central College’s women’s soccer team.
Sophia Bartridge, a junior likely to play as a central defensive midfielder on the tour, was named an All-Region player this past season. Ashley Ishman, a senior and the only goalkeeper on the tour, joined Bartridge with a nod on the All-Region team as well. Alexandria Canarelli, a junior playing center back on the tour, earned an All-Conference honor from her efforts last season.
The Dominican trio will travel and play in Rio de Janeiro as well as São Paulo, where they will compete in four contests against both college and professional Brazilian players under international friendly rules, which allows for unlimited substitutions.
Excitement has already begun brewing as Batridge said she can’t wait “to play with other women’s soccer players from across the nation especially teams from the past that have excelled (in D3).”
“It will help me be able to work with others and adapt to different styles of play which will make me an overall better player,” she said.
With Fútbol being the main sport played, Ishman is looking forward to “getting to experience a different style of play and afterwards being able to interact with their Brazilian opponents.”
Because players are being recruited from all over the country to play on the USA team, the full roster does not have established chemistry with each other that naturally occurs over time playing with one another. Yet Canarelli, with the opportunity to compete with her two best friends and teammates, appreciates “the level of trust that has already been set.”
“There is a good core that we already know and have played with where a foundation has been built and we work off of each other,” she said. “That will help as we learn to work with the other players.”
The USA Division Three Soccer Team Brazil Tour started in 2010 with the first women’s soccer tour the following year. Dominican’s Gabby Green went on the 2021 tour after she graduated in May and loved the experience.
“Immersing yourself into a different culture with no one you’ve ever met before and then playing with them against Brazil’s top professional teams cultivated an environment of growth, unforgettable experiences, and great friendships,” Green said.
“Their culture loves to dance and since there was a language barrier, dancing was our main form of entertainment with each other,” she said. “They would teach us their dance moves and we would show them some of ours.”
The American women will also hit the tourist hot spots, including the Christ the Redeemer statue, Sugar Loaf Mountain, and Rio’s Copacabana beach alongside where they will be staying. There will be plenty of exploration in the Brazilian communities and shopping in the markets.
