BLACKSBURG – Virginia Tech women's soccer player Nicole Kozlova recently spent about two weeks in Norway with the Ukraine U19 Women's National Team looking to help the squad to the U20 Euro finals, which would act as the UEFA's qualifier for the 2020 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup.
The redshirt-freshman played three matches for Ukraine, who went 1-2 in the tournament and did not advance to the qualifier, as the team finished third in the group. The hosts of the group Norway went a perfect 3-0 to advance.
Kozlova played approximately 200 minutes combined in the three matches, scored the lone goal in a 7-1 loss to Norway and had two goals and an assist in a 4-2 win over Northern Ireland.
She recently took part in a Q&A to reflect on her experience.
Q: How did the overall trip go for you?
NK: "It was a challenging tournament. Europe has a lot of strong women's teams and the second round of Euro qualifiers is never easy. Yet, being back with the team after nine months and playing again on such high level felt great. I finally had a chance to reconnect with some of my closest friends and be part of the team. One thing that stood out to me that I'll remember was how we all sang on the bus on the way back to the hotel after we had just beaten Northern Ireland. This was the first time I got to travel to Norway and I fell in love with the place. It is a mix of mountains and water and wherever you turn it is a picture perfect view. I am so thankful that soccer allows me to visit such beautiful places."
Q: There were some disappointing results, but you played, you scored, what was that feeling like?
NK: "I don't believe the results were disappointing. There are a lot of strong women's teams in Europe and the competition is high. It was the second round of qualifiers and we managed to get a win in the Elite Round which was a first for the U19 Ukrainian National Team. Women's soccer in Ukraine is still developing and there are a lot of people (and people in power) who do not believe that women can play soccer. The funding for women programs is very limited and since advancing in the fall qualifier the team had ZERO training camps.
"For example, Norway held four camps to prepare for this tournament. This makes it challenging for Ukrainian girls to compete against top European countries. I think the girls battled hard and did their best in the circumstances. I was very proud of myself and my contribution. Even though the team result against Norway was not what we wanted being able to score against a top European country was a big accomplishment.
"In the third game against Northern Ireland, I made the impact I went into this tournament looking to make. Our team was down 2-1 around the 55th minute, I was able to score in the 58th minute to tie the game up. As time began to run out I knew I had to make a difference. In the 88th minute, I decided to take a shot from distance and scored! As my dad always says 'if you don't shoot, you don't score.' In the last few minutes of the game I also got an assist from a corner to finish off the game and get us the win."
Q: Was there anything that you learned about yourself in the past year since your injury to getting back on the field and playing at such a high level?
NK: "As people often say, 'the comeback is always stronger than the setback.' Nine months after my ACL surgery I was able to make an impact against some of the top countries in the world. Now I know that an injury cannot stop a person from doing what they love and with work and dedication it is possible to compete and perform at the top level. I also learned to listen to my body, something that I was not good at before my injury. During the game against Norway, I felt my legs getting fatigued and asked for a substitution which is something I would have never done before. I knew I had to listen to my body telling me I needed a break as I did not want to get another injury."
Q: What will you take away from this experience?
NK: "It's not the end of the journey, but just the beginning. I need to keep working on myself and keep developing as a player. One of my goals is to continue to improve my fitness not just to the pre-injury level but beyond that to be able to make an even bigger difference on the field. Playing against high-ranked European teams showed that to make an impact, a very high level of fitness is needed. The less fatigued you are on the field the better decisions you can make, the better your touch is and the better you can support the team. I think it would also help me make a positive impact for the Hokies next season.
"In addition, my performance at this tournament was rewarded as I was invited to the Senior National Team camp in June. It is a big accomplishment and a new challenge I am looking forward to. I will be focusing on preparing for that camp for the next two months."