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Brazilian trio brings international flavor to Lady Hawk lineup
By Jim O'Hara
THOMASVILLE, Ga. – They learned to play the game in the style that defines Brazil as one of the top soccer nations in the world.
Footwork, accurate passing, finesse and a free flowing form in the country where soccer is the national pastime and has produced some of history’s best players and teams.
Most recently, Brazil has produced three women from the same city who not only have come to the United States to play on the same team, but also have learned the hard way about transitioning to the much tougher and physical American style of the game – Shorter University’s Helena Farinha, Cintia Lamas and Aline Bez Tamiosso.
“Brazilian soccer is much different from American soccer,” Shorter head coach Jennifer Colley said about how all three players from Campinas, Sao Paulo have had to adjust. “Brazilians are typically finesse players who have great ball control and play with a free flowing style. But American soccer is much more physical.”
Shorter has certainly had to cope with the physicality of the game during the opening weeks of the season.
Determined to snap a 0-3 start when they head to Thomasville, Ga., this week to play host Thomas and St. Thomas (Fla.) in the Thomas Invitational, the physical nature of the game on U.S. soil has taken an unusually high toll on the Lady Hawks.
Six starters were out of the lineup last weekend when Shorter dropped identical 3-1 road decisions to No. 16 Embry-Riddle and Webber International, including Farinha and Lamas.
“In Brazil we play with the ball and we play smart so we don't have to run as much,” said Shorter assistant coach Danielle dos Santos, who starred as a player at Central Florida and also hails from Campinas. “Plus footwork is something that comes natural for any Brazilian player. It takes about one season to get used to the American style of playing. The same difficulties they have adjusting, I had when I first came to America.
“We get hit a lot by other teams.”
Farinha and Tamiosso, both sophomores, learned that as freshmen last year, but still produced solid seasons.
As a midfielder for the Lady Hawks in 2010, Farinha registered a goal, two assists and 19 shots on goal to help Shorter produce its first-ever 10-win season.
“Helena wasn’t used to the physical nature of the game and when she got here it was an adjustment,” Colley said. “But since she adjusted, she’s played very, very well.”
Before she transferred to Shorter this season, Tamiosso made a huge splash her first time on an American pitch last year at Cowley College in Kansas when the forward scored 28 goals and dished out 10 assists.
“She was a pretty hot prospect. A lot of schools knew who she was,” Colley said of Tamiosso, who has two goals for SU this year. “But she liked what Shorter had to offer, liked Danielle and knew the other girls from her hometown.
“She’s been in the United States for a year now and she’s adjusted – what she did last year proves that,” the coach said. “And now that she’s had a taste of American soccer, there’s no telling what she’s capable of.”
“I played on the same club team as Aline and Helena back home,” dos Santos said. “Aline is younger than me, but she was always asked to play on my team because of her quality as a soccer player. Cintia played for a club in the same town that were our rivals, but I have always noticed her and how well she played.”
Lamas, a freshman, is the newest to experience the American style of soccer, but Colley believes the midfielder’s own style of play can give the Lady Hawks a different look.
“She’s a different type of player than the other two,” said Colley. “She’s quicker and has the technical skills, and although she’s smaller, she reads the game well. We’ll need her to step up right away.”
Colley hopes that the 10-day break from action will provide the Lady Hawks a chance to heal, regroup and allow some of the players who have been injured to return to the field. But the coach, the team and the three Brazilians realize even more that they must be ready to adapt.
“They along with everyone else on the team will have to learn to play out of position,” Colley said. “Everyone is adjusting and adapting well. It’s going to be hard to fill the void [the injuries] left, but everyone is committed to doing what they have to do to help the team.”
