When Lieke Visser arrived in Syracuse from Bunnik, Netherlands, she was handed a two-page list of English field hockey terms she had to learn in time for her first game. While the rules of the game transcend geographical borders, she learned first-hand that the verbiage does not.

“Everybody was screaming and yelling English words and they had terms for things I had never heard of before,” Visser said. “They were yelling and I was just standing there thinking, ‘OK, what do you want me to do?’”

While embarrassing and uncomfortable for Visser, the occurrence is common one in the initial weeks of training camp as international players try to adjust to their new life in the United States. For most international players, field hockey is the only line of continuity from their homes an ocean away.

Syracuse (13-4, 2-4 Atlantic Coast) has strived to smooth the transition and is leading the way this season with its latest international recruiting class. SU recruiting coordinator Tara Zollinger journeyed to Germany and the Netherlands to scout and eventually reel in four of SU’s five international commits that have debuted for the Orange this season. Zollinger also recruited Jessica Ross, a Dundee, Scotland native who has played in every game for Syracuse this season.

Annalena Ulbrich — a 5-foot-10 back from Hannover, Germany — has become a mainstay for the Orange in defense while adding 10 goals, all on penalty corners, with the most powerful shot on the team. Joining Ulbrich in the class is Dutch native Lieke Visser, who has started all but one game and leads the team in assists.

The contributions and adjustments of players like Ulbrich and Visser help Syracuse and fellow ACC teams see the value in integrating international players, who often are equipped with a different skill set than domestic players, into their systems.

“If you go and watch hockey in Germany, or Argentina, or the U.S., you’re going to see different styles of hockey,” Zollinger said. “The Argentines are known for their great stick work and speed while Germany is known for having very sound and smart defenders.

“It comes down to looking at the individual though, and whether they have a skill set that will contribute to the style of play we have.”

Zollinger also successfully recruited Jill Giesen and Lies Lagerweij on her trip. Most families welcome her into their homes and let her make her pitch, Zollinger said. While she said most parents are understandably hesitant to relinquish their daughters, the players’ aspirations extend far beyond the field.

This was exactly the case for Samantha Travers, a senior back at the University of North Carolina. At age 11 she decided she wanted to leave her hometown of Harare, Zimbabwe to come study in the United States, and if fortunate enough, play field hockey.

She left Zimbabwe in 2010, leaving behind a country economically ravaged with not so much as a fully stocked grocery store around her.

So on her second day in the United States when she was sent to the store to pick up bread, it was a first-world experience she didn’t see coming. Overwhelmed by endless aisles and bread options, she panicked and had to leave the store, she said.

“It’s so surreal,” Travers said. “Everything is much bigger, much better. Everything works.

“It’s hard to explain because not one thing is the same.”

The fear of the unknown can be the biggest recruiting obstacles that coordinators like Zollinger face. Syracuse was the best option for Ulbrich and her family, she said, but pent-up excitement quickly dissolved into tears as she prepared to depart.

“I was so nervous,” Ulbrich said. “I remember when I left home and had to leave my whole family and all my friends, I was crying and so nervous.”

Disregarding the massive lifestyle changes outside of field hockey international players encounter, the biggest venture into uncharted territory is the heightened amount of physical fitness required to play in the United States. Every international player in this year’s SU freshman class said it was the hardest part of their transition.

Zollinger and SU head coach Ange Bradley recognize the challenge it presents to players who may consider themselves unprepared, but they encourage the players to treat the opportunity like the most highly esteemed one they could have in their own country.

“Our hockey is more aggressive and physical here,” Bradley said. “The intensity of training is much better and I think our training is a much more high-performance environment.

“Almost as if you were playing on a country’s national team.”

That opportunity is considered the pinnacle of one’s career, and the one most international collegiate players find themselves working to make. This past summer, Syracuse junior forward Emma Russell was named to the Ireland Under-21 national team. She’s also played on the U-16 and U-18 teams for Ireland.

UNC head coach Karen Shelton expressed how valuable of an experience that is for any player and how the U.S. game will still be here for them to play when they return. It’s an opportunity she can’t hold her players back from, she said, and she’s thrilled to see them pursue an elite level of hockey.

“We want kids that dream of making their national team, the Olympics,” Shelton said. “We encourage their participation in all those national teams, anytime they can play at the higher level, we’ll encourage it.”

While SU’s five international freshmen broaden their games and enjoy spending their leisure time trying to understand Americans’ obsession with peanut butter and cinnamon, they’ve left no uncertainty about their abilities on the field.

“For first-year players, yes,” Bradley said when asked if the recruiting Class of 2014 was the most talented group of international players she’s had. “But I’m excited to see where they’ll all be in their fourth years.”

Published on November 4, 2014 at 12:48 am

Contact Connor: cgrossma@syr.edu | @connorgrossman