Serwaah Fordjour featured in the Trail

Fordjour represents Loggers, Princesses
By Vince Ghiringhelli

While a Division III athlete may not always get much press, national recognition or a chance to compete on his or her country's national team, there is one such case on the University of Puget Sound campus. Junior defender Serwaah Fordjour of the women's soccer team, a native of Boston and most recently of Shoreline, Washington, is competing on the Ghana Princesses, under-20 national women's soccer team. Fordjour's father, a citizen of Ghana, was instrumental in setting up the opportunity. A few years back, Fordjour's family hosted some players when they played a tournament in the Northwest. Being acquainted with the coach, as well as being a standout player for the nationally ranked Loggers, earned her a spot on the team. "I'm the only American on the squad, which is not really how it's been in the past," Fordjour said. "The coaches like having U.S. players because they're well-rounded people, being in school and playing soccer at the same time." Some of the players on the Princesses are not in school, which gives them less of an opportunity to compete regularly. "They (the Princesses) usually have more U.S. players because they're very well-coaches and disciplined," Fordjour said. With Fordjour, they are getting exactly what they are looking for in a player. She's been starting since her freshman year, and is a key to the perennially staunch Logger defense. Her playing time with the Princesses benefits from her experience at Puget Sound. "I get a fair amount of playing time, but there are people that tour with the team year round that are great players as well," Fordjour said. "I'm pretty old for the group, though. I barely make the age cutoff." With that in mind, she has a tough decision to make in the near future. That Ghana women's national team, the Black Queens, would be the next step up. Following Fordjour's final opportunity to play with the Princesses in December will be world cup action. "If the Black Princesses take me, I'd lay for them," Fordjour said. However, like a true Logger student-athlete, Fordjour is committed to the academic excellence that comes with attending Puget Sound. Traveling overseas to play in a soccer match comes at a price: missing finals week. " The men's team is the nation's main focus right now, so I'm trying to look ahead to the qualifier and figure out if I can do it," Fordjour said. So, even with an entire season on the pitch with the Loggers ahead of her, Fordjour has some things to think about. Her opportunity is one few Loggers will have. Puget Sound is currently 5-0, and is yet to be scored on in 2009. This weekend will be their first real test when the Whitworth Pirates come to town. The Pirates give the Loggers their toughest game of the Northwest conference season, and this year will likely prove to be the same. With a lockdown defense and the firepower of the offense, Fordjour and the rest of the team will likely come out on top. From Tacoma, the Northwest Conference, and all the way to Africa, at least one Logger is getter her due diligence as a student-athlete.