Goal Oriented

Women’s soccer player excels on Mexican national team

Like a lot girls who grew up playing soccer, ASU freshman Christine Nieva admired the sport’s former superstar, Mia Hamm. Unlike a lot of those girls, Nieva got to play against Hamm when she saw action as member of Mexico’s National Team in Hamm’s 2004 farewell game.

The game was a stop on a journey that’s taken Nieva from the soccer fields of her hometown Dallas to international tournaments in such countries as Canada and Portugal.

Nieva, who also plays forward for the ASU women’s team, has been a member of the Women’s Mexican National Team for more than two years and her star is rising. She has been promoted to the team’s “Super Group” and has played in three international games against the United States.

"Being part of the Women's Mexican National Team has been a great experience for me and has helped me to build my confidence,” she said.
Nieva also plays for the country’s under-20 national team, which will try to qualify this year for World Cup play. Playing for Mexico in one of the world’s great sporting events would be a dream come true for Nieva.

"It’s an honor representing my family's country,” she said. “It's something that I have always wanted to do.”

The highly recruited Nieva was injured last season and didn’t play much for ASU’s team, which finished a 9-8-3 2005 season by beating ranked rival Arizona for their final win. The Sun Devils hope to improve on that record this year when the season starts in August. But with the loss of three seniors, Elizabeth Bogus, Brittany Cooper and Manya Makoski, all of whom subsequently trained for national teams, the team faces a tough challenge. Coach Ray Leone looks forward to the addition of a healthy Nieva, who he says can really help the team. “She’s very skillful,” he said. “When she receives the ball, she has great technical ability.”

— Michael Green

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