BLACKSBURG – Virginia Tech women's soccer player Emily Gray, a rising sophomore, recently returned from a trip to La Manga, Spain as a member of the U.S. Under-20 Women's National Team.
The Americans went 1-2 in the Women's U-19 La Manga Tournament, dropping a pair of one-goal decisions before winning by four in their final match. Despite starting and playing in just one match, a 3-2 loss to France in the tournament's second game, Gray took a lot away from the experience.
"What was really cool, in the game that I did play against France, was the competition," Gray said. "There were a couple of girls who played for the top professional teams in France. A couple of them played for PSG and Olympique Lyonnais, and one of the girls played for the French senior team and played in the UEFA Champions League."
"So that was awesome to play against them. All three teams were made up of professional players, and we are just players from college, and even some of my teammates were still in high school and here we we're playing against top professionals from other countries in our age group. Even when I wasn't playing, I got to watch the games, right there, first hand, and got to see how they played at such a fast pace."
The 14-team friendly tournament predominantly featured European teams, including opponents, Germany, France and Sweden, who were all getting ready for their next round of UEFA qualifying.
Gray found herself in an unusual spot at the event, not on the field. She did make the most of it and understands that this was also a great learning opportunity as well.
"Throughout my whole career, I've never been on the bench that much and even with the national team, I've been on the other side of it, where I started and played the majority of the minutes," she said. "I did have an experience last year in Switzerland, where I came in off the bench at halftime in both games and that was a different experience, because in my club days and here at college, I haven't come off the bench.
"So, there, in those games, I got to experience being a sub, and I had to stay in tuned with the game, because I never knew if I was going in or not. I've now gotten to experience all the different kinds of ways you can be used as a player and that's what I need if I want to pursue my dreams. I have to understand all sides of it and take it with a grain of salt and just get better and work my way back into a starting role."
Gray is now back in Blacksburg with the Hokies, who still have a couple of scrimmages left this spring. The team will be in action this Sunday at Bryant Park in Greensboro, N.C. to face James Madison (10 a.m.) and High Point (1 p.m.).