Aug. 26, 2011
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By Jordean Matthews
UCFAthletics.com
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - UCF women's soccer player Andrea Rodrigues (St. Petersburg, Fla.) was called to play overseas with the Portuguese National Team and compete in friendly matches against Turkey on Aug. 23 and 25.
"We were very excited when Andrea was called to play with the Portuguese national team," UCF head coach Amanda Cromwell said. "Whenever a player can get international experience it benefits the whole program."
In Tuesday's 2-0 win over Turkey in Caldas da Rainha, Rodrigues saw 30 minutes of play after entering the game during the 60th minute. With her team up, 1-0, Rodrigues dominated in the midfield to help Portugal get the win.
The teams met again Thursday morning in Rio Maior where Rodrigues got the opportunity to start, playing 87 minutes before coming out of the match. Portugal defeated Turkey, 2-1.
Earlier this season Rodrigues was voted to the 2011 All-Sunshine Conference Team and the All-Women's Premier Soccer League (WPSL) Third Team after spending the summer playing for the Tampa Bay Hellenic. Tampa Bay won the league with a 10-2-1 record but fell to Chicago, 2-1, in the WPSL National Semifinals.
The WPSL is a 60-plus team national league that competes during the summer season. It is made up of five conferences and is the largest women's soccer league in the world. The league is sanctioned by the United States Adult Soccer Association (USASA) as an affiliate of the United States Soccer Federation (USSF).
"Andrea earned many awards over the summer playing with Tampa Bay Hellenic," Cromwell added. "We are proud of all of her success and know they will continue, not only at UCF but also internationally."
Rodrigues, whose parents were born in Brazil, hold passports for Brazil, Portugal and the United States. Having the opportunity to represent any of the three countries Rodrigues chose Portugal.
As a midfielder for the Knights, Rodrigues has scored three goals and collected four assists in her career. During the 2009 season Rodrigues earned a medical redshirt after only seeing action in three games.