A Look Back On An Opportunity of a Lifetime:Mercedes Fisher from Greensboro College Women’s Soccer

GREENSBORO, N.C. – Greensboro College’s Mercedes Fisher recently returned home from an opportunity of a lifetime as she competed in the Concacaf Caribbean Women’s World Cup Qualifier as a member of the Puerto Rican national team.

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Fisher and her teammates fell just short of advancing out to pool play after posting a 2-0-2 record. Their wins came in their opener against Anguilla, 10-0, and their finale against Aruba, 5-0. In addition to their wins, they recorded draws against the Dominican Republic and Cuba.

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Fisher saw action in two games, including a start in the team’s victory over Aruba.

A Look Back Through the Eyes of Mercedes Fisher

The experience was nothing less than extraordinary. From day one, I felt so welcomed by everyone including my teammates, the coaches, and the staff.

Over the first few days, we become very close, almost like a family. Most of the team spoke English so communication is no problem. Several of us came from the United States and the others played professional soccer in Puerto Rico.

Santo Domingo was a beautiful city, but we had absolutely no time to sightsee. We were either in the hotel or on the field. We get up early and go to bed early. Every day, we had a team meeting, on field training (twice on our non-game days), muscle activation training, and took ice baths.

The level of competition was very high and their style of play is like nothing I have experienced before, so I learned a lot. The team had not been together before, so most of our training was focused on tactics and positioning. The coach also focused on teaching us how to use our weaknesses to our advantage.

I felt so much pride (and pressure) when I put on my jersey. I was not representing a team or an association. I was representing the country of Puerto Rico, my country. The moment we stepped on the field, all eyes were on us. People were watching to see how we represent our families, our team, our country, and ourselves.
My goal was to play my hardest and do my very best. I wanted to finish well and look back having no regrets.

For more information on Greensboro College women’s soccer, continue to follow www.greensborocollegesports.com.