Rie Sawai: Fitting in Well with the Gators
Friday, September 30, 2005 | Soccer
Growing up as a teenager in Nara, Japan, the last thought in senior midfielder Rie Sawai's mind was the University of Florida. Besides never hearing about the university, all Sawai knew was that she wanted to come to the United States to play soccer and go to college.
Sawai, a member of the Japanese under-18 national team in 1999, began her studies in America at Graceland University in Lamoni, Iowa. After two years at Graceland, Sawai decided she needed to challenge herself and take her game to the next level.
It was one of Sawai's previous coaches who convinced her to take that step.
“When I was at Graceland, my old coach told me to look at the top 30 rankings,” Sawai said. “I sent e-mails to all of them asking if any coaches were interested in me, and Florida was.”
After just a few days at UF, Sawai said she had already begun to notice major differences.
“The players here are much more talented and physical,” she said. “I have to think and react very quickly at all times, and it has helped me try to become a tougher player.”
One of Sawai's teammates, junior midfielder Ananda Erickson, believes Sawai has succeeded in getting tougher over the past two years.
“She's definitely gotten stronger,” Erickson said. “She does a really good job of holding people off. It is something she wants, and she has a desire to get better at it and has.”
Sawai, who missed 10 matches last season due to a sprained left ankle, said her injury hurt her progress in becoming tougher. Erickson and other teammates believe Sawai's resilience is just one of her great characteristics.
“She brings another dimension to our team,” Erickson said. “Being from Japan, she is very technically sound and an amazing player in that sense. Her touch is brilliant, and she keeps everything simple.”
This season, Sawai has started five matches at midfield and turned in her first goal as a Gator versus Florid State. Off the field, Sawai has adjusted well to life in America, with a good amount of help from her teammates.
“I did not know anything about America nor have any friends here,” Sawai said. “My teammates have helped me a lot, showed me around, helped me learn to speak English better and helped me express myself as part of the team.”
Senior forward Jessica Young has grown close to Sawai over her time at UF. She said her teammates and coaches have made it a point to help Sawai feel comfortable in Gainesville.
“We've all taken to her and loved her and tried to take her under our wing,” Young said. “She is one of a kind and a great person.”
Young and other teammates welcomed Sawai to UF by baking a birthday cake with “Happy Birthday” written on it in Japanese. The team also has Japanese letters with the theme of “united” on the back of their shirts.
While Sawai has not decided what she wants to do after graduating, she has considered returning to Japan to play soccer in one of the country's women's leagues.
Erickson believes Sawai will play soccer for the rest of her life, either professionally or recreationally.
“She is a passionate person, and her passion is soccer,” Erickson said. “You can feel it in the way she cares about people and her teammates. She is a quiet person but has a lot of energy in wanting to be involved in the team.”
Young agrees.
“Rie is a really hard worker and one of the most humble and modest people I have ever met,” she said. “She works as hard as she can to be the best she can, and she would never say that about herself.”
By Adam Silverstein, UF Sports Information
