For Frida Brattum, soccer has always been apart of her life. The Norway native knew that she wanted to push herself this season and she set the bar high for herself on the field. With her senior campaign in the books, she led the offense with eight goals and walks away from her collegiate career with zero regrets. 

“My family has always been really active and like doing sports,” Brattum said. “My dad has been playing soccer like forever, so it was just natural for me to just start. My older brother did it too.”

She came to America for college because she knew that relocating would be the most logical thing to do if she wanted to play at a high level. In Norway, the student-athlete culture is very different. After high school graduation, you choose one route or another. When that time came, she had her sights set on Georgia Southern. She visited America before coming to Statesboro, just to go on vacation, and her favorite place to sightsee was New York because of the constant hustle and bustle. 

Brattum had a bit of a shock when she arrived to Statesboro, as she was not familiar with the infamous ‘Southern Hospitality’ that Americans always mention. She felt at home, even though getting to Norway is a flight that can take over 11 hours.

Coming to America was not an easy adjustment for Brattum but she is proud of the person she has become. Growing up so close to her family, she thought she would be more homesick than she actually is.

Her brother, a professional ice hockey player for the Norwegian national team, pushes her to be the best she can be. It takes effort to stay in communication due to the time difference but they always find time to make it work.

“I feel like I’ve grown a lot as a person in general because nobody back home would ever think that I would move to a different country speaking a different language,” she said. ‘I thought I was going to get more homesick and I learned a lot about myself and how I handle tough situations being far away from home.”

She didn’t really try to play any other sports besides soccer during her childhood but she has always enjoyed skiing during her leisure time with her family. Obviously, skiing in Statesboro is not an option, so she sticks to soccer.

Head Coach Josh Moffet was not here when Brattum began her tenure as an Eagle but she is grateful for his impact on her career high numbers this season. 

“A lot of things are different,” she said. “It’s good team chemistry… for scoring goals it’s been about confidence and trust and I feel like I’ve been trusted by the whole team.” 

With the end of the regular season and an appearance in the Sun Belt Tournament, Brattum has begun to say her goodbyes to GS, slowly but surely. She will never forget the place that allowed her to live out her dreams of being an athlete and a full time student.

“I’ve gotten some really good friends here that I want to keep in touch with for the rest of my life,” she said. “I’m going to miss walking around campus and walking into the Sanford building, it’s going to be different but I feel like it’s time now after 4 years.”

After college, she hopes to work around the sports side of public relations.

Elijah Jackson, The George-Anne Sports Reporter, gasports@georgiasouthern.edu