Freshman Feature: Onyi Echegini
August 26, 2019 | Soccer
by Emma Warren, Student Assistant/Communications
STARKVILLE – Leaving Great Britain for Starkville, Onyi Echegini wasn't sure what she was getting herself into. The biggest adjustments she has faced so far have been the differences in temperature and the food.
After a 14-hour journey to start her college soccer career, the last thing Echegini was expecting was the extreme temperature change in the Deep South. The hot, humid temperature is completely different from her home in London and the Netherlands, where she was born.
"When I first came here, I could barely breathe," Echegini said. "Playing soccer here was so hard because it was so hot. I've been used to the weather in the Netherlands and London all my life, so coming here, it was something that I had to get used to. Honestly, I'm still getting used to it. I miss the weather at home, I miss the breeze. Here's it's just a constant feeling of being hot."
Crossing the Atlantic Ocean from London, Echegini was unsure how she would handle being so far away from her family. Raised as one of six children, she was surrounded by members of family all the time. With it being her first time in the United States in general, moving to Mississippi State was a huge change for her, but her father was with her to help with the transition.
"Back in England, I just went to school and played soccer," Echegini said. "In England, I saw my teammates for two hours during practice and then I wouldn't see them until the next day. I feel like they were just my teammates and not my family. Here, I feel like I'm a lot closer to the girls. I see them at the dorms. I see them in my lessons. I see them at soccer, anywhere around campus and just everywhere. They have become my teammates and my family here at Mississippi State."
Despite coming from England, there has also been a bit of a language barrier in the slang her teammates use. She was born and raised to call the sport that she loved "football," but here it's known as "soccer."
Of the six kids in the family, Echegini classifies herself as the only "athletic" one. Whether it was playing soccer after school, after dinner or in a game, her heart for the sport grew from a young age. Her dreams of playing in college and going professional have just begun.
"I was so nervous before the first game," Echegini said. "I get so nervous playing soccer. People might not realize this, but the day before, I barely sleep. I think about the game constantly, but then when I start playing the nerves flourish away."
For more information on the Bulldog soccer program, follow on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram by searching for "HailStateSOC."
STARKVILLE – Leaving Great Britain for Starkville, Onyi Echegini wasn't sure what she was getting herself into. The biggest adjustments she has faced so far have been the differences in temperature and the food.
After a 14-hour journey to start her college soccer career, the last thing Echegini was expecting was the extreme temperature change in the Deep South. The hot, humid temperature is completely different from her home in London and the Netherlands, where she was born.
"When I first came here, I could barely breathe," Echegini said. "Playing soccer here was so hard because it was so hot. I've been used to the weather in the Netherlands and London all my life, so coming here, it was something that I had to get used to. Honestly, I'm still getting used to it. I miss the weather at home, I miss the breeze. Here's it's just a constant feeling of being hot."
Crossing the Atlantic Ocean from London, Echegini was unsure how she would handle being so far away from her family. Raised as one of six children, she was surrounded by members of family all the time. With it being her first time in the United States in general, moving to Mississippi State was a huge change for her, but her father was with her to help with the transition.
"Back in England, I just went to school and played soccer," Echegini said. "In England, I saw my teammates for two hours during practice and then I wouldn't see them until the next day. I feel like they were just my teammates and not my family. Here, I feel like I'm a lot closer to the girls. I see them at the dorms. I see them in my lessons. I see them at soccer, anywhere around campus and just everywhere. They have become my teammates and my family here at Mississippi State."
Despite coming from England, there has also been a bit of a language barrier in the slang her teammates use. She was born and raised to call the sport that she loved "football," but here it's known as "soccer."
Of the six kids in the family, Echegini classifies herself as the only "athletic" one. Whether it was playing soccer after school, after dinner or in a game, her heart for the sport grew from a young age. Her dreams of playing in college and going professional have just begun.
"I was so nervous before the first game," Echegini said. "I get so nervous playing soccer. People might not realize this, but the day before, I barely sleep. I think about the game constantly, but then when I start playing the nerves flourish away."
For more information on the Bulldog soccer program, follow on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram by searching for "HailStateSOC."
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