Jan. 12, 2016
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFKnights.com) -- Not long ago, freshman goalkeeper Vera Varis and sophomore defender Saga Fredriksson were in the middle of a conversation about their national teams.
Usually, the pair speak in English to each other, but on this particular day, they were speaking in Swedish.
"Suddenly I spoke one sentence in German, and Saga was like, `I did not understand that part,'" Varis said, chuckling at the slip-up.
Yes, somewhere in that bright brain of hers, Varis possesses the ability to speak four languages.
The Finnish part was easy enough. Varis is a native of the city of Vantaa, which lies roughly 30 minutes northeast of the capital, Helsinki.
Swedish came next. In a concept that she describes as "language bath," she attended a Swedish school until sixth grade. None of the students were native Swedish speakers, but the teachers instructed everything in the language, and the students were required to immerse themselves and learn it.
Varis said everyone in Finland begins learning English in third grade. And a year later, when she was given the option to take courses in French or German, she chose German.
"Sometimes I think I am done," Varis said. "There was a time I was thinking about learning Russian. I have some Russian friends. Or French because if I knew French and German, I would be in a really good position to work all over Europe."
Not surprisingly, she said her English has improved since she moved to the States in 2015. There are certain quirks that took getting used to.
She is not used to using prepositions (before, on, in spite of) or articles (the, an). Because of this, she said she can replace an entire sentence in English with just one word in Finnish.
She is always eager to learn new adjectives. `Comfy' and `cozy' are two of her favorites.
"'Describing words' are pretty cool to use because in school when we learn languages, we just learn information about hard topics. Not that much everyday language," she said. "We talk about climate change or politics or something."
When she needs to keep from getting rusty with her other languages, she turns to teammates Fredriksson (a native of Sweden) or Katarina Naumanen. Naumanen suited up alongside Varis for Finland's National Team at the U20 World Cup in Canada in 2014.
Varis got her start as a goalkeeper because of her older sister, also a goalkeeper. The all-conference honoree began playing soccer in first grade and was always active during her childhood.
With 5.4 million people in the whole country -- by comparison, New York City boasts roughly 8 million -- Varis said her hometown is surrounded by nature. A river runs through it. She regularly took her dogs for walks in the woods.
When winter hit, she could walk from her house to five different areas -- sometimes an ice-covered soccer field -- and play hockey.
Before coming to UCF, she gained valuable experience with her national team's youth and senior level squads.
Finland qualified for the 2014 U20 World Cup after advancing through two qualifying rounds in the 2013 European Championships. She cited Finland's 1-0 win over Norway in Wales as her shining moment.
"That was the most amazing feeling -- the first game we won for European Championships," Varis said. "My mom and sister, grandparents and cousin all came to watch."
Varis is enjoying life as a student-athlete and made an immediate impact for the Knights in goal. The rookie started in all but two of their 20 matches during the fall, including the first round of the NCAA Tournament held on their home field.
"She's like a veteran, really. Not when it comes to Division I soccer, necessarily, but to have the type of experience she's had with a youth World Cup, that's huge," UCF head coach Tiffany Roberts Sahaydak said. "Particularly in soccer, that position (goalkeeper) is very important for your team. To have someone that is that confident, experienced and has her type of presence for the next three years is a great position for us to be in."
Roberts Sahaydak describes Varis as a beast in the net but a gentle giant off the field. Varis all but confirms that sentiment when she lists her personal goals for the coming years: graduate with good grades and form lasting friendships with teammates.
"It's not about the big victories, it's just the everyday small things that happen that make it fun to be here," Varis said. "I have always felt myself so welcomed here. I have not have a moment where I did not belong to the team."
Story by Jenna Marina