Norway is known as the Land of the Midnight Sun and is home to the Northern Lights. While Connecticut rarely has a view of the Northern Lights, four Norwegians are making their own for the men’s soccer team.
An eight-hour flight and a two-hour train ride brings forwards, freshman William Holum and junior Simon Bakken, along with freshmen midfielders Sivert Ryssdalsnes and Fredrik Moen to Connecticut — somewhere they’ve never been.
Being over 3,500 miles away from home is daunting. Adjusting to new lifestyles isn’t always easy, especially when you’re alone. But these players aren’t alone, not even close.
“I would say, like, we Norweigan(s) are very private people. We are very inter-self. It doesn’t bother others. Keep it to yourself,” Bakken said. “While in America, everyone is more open and they talk to you if they don’t know you. So I think that’s a very good thing that Americans are very open and very friendly, so it’s very easy to come here and get in.”
On the pitch, life in Hamden isn’t too different to Norway.
“My team (in Norway) sometimes we could practice during school time so we can skip class sometimes, but usually it’s school, training and then get home, get some rest, get ready for the next day,” Moen said.
On top of that, these players live in a time zone six hours behind Norway, making calls with their loved ones hard to come by.
“It’s a big time difference. So it’s a little bit hard to talk to your parents sometimes, because, like, we have school and practice during the day, and after that, we may be at classes. So like, some days maybe you can’t talk to your parents and everything,” Bakken said.
But this isn’t exactly new to many of Quinnipiac’s own. In his 20th season at the helm, head coach Eric Da Costa has recruited at least 10 Norwegians in the last eight years.
From defender Jeppe Haehre of Baerums Verk, Norway in 2016 to Holum, Bakken, Ryssdalsnes and Moen in 2024, Norwegian roots run through Hamden.
“It’s not just about soccer. It’s about the academics, but more importantly, it’s about us, it’s about me and (assistant coaches) Matt (Jones) and Sean (O’Brien) and, making sure that the players and the families trust where they’re sending their children, or trust where they’re going, and that’s that’s been our strategy from the beginning,” Da Costa said.
But being around your fellow countrymen helps just enough to get over the feeling of homesickness.
“It’s nice to have someone to talk Norwegian to as well, so I don’t forget the language,” Ryssdalsnes said. “It’s easier to relate to people from Norway because we probably have many of the same issues, or the same thing we miss.”
The quartet have all played a role in the team’s success through the first six games of the season.
Holum has started every game so far as a Bobcat as striker, bagging his first goal and an assist in a 5-1 win over Central Connecticut State on Sept. 10.
“I’ve been waiting so hard for it. I’ve been working so hard every match to get it and now it finally came,” Holum said.
Starting as a freshman requires the trust of a coaching staff, and it seems as though Da Costa has full faith in Holum.
“He gives us something different that we haven’t had in a while,” Da Costa said. “He’s almost like a post player in basketball, he does well with his back to goal, we can play the ball into feet and relieve us of some pressure so we can get forward and join him.”
Ryssdalsnes and Moen have also made their presence felt. Moen has played in six games, starting in four, while Ryssdalsnes has played in five and started one. Ryssdalsnes’ performances have caught the attention of more than just the coach.
“Someone I’ve been impressed with is (Ryssdalsnes), our new number six (center defensive midfielder). I think he’s been looking really good in practice and I think he’s going to be big for us this season,” junior goalkeeper and captain Karl Netzell said.
Bakken, a seasoned veteran, has experienced both the highs and lows of the program — from winning the MAAC championship to missing the playoffs with a 3-9-5 record.
He’s also had experience with other countrymen in the past when he suited up with Brage Aasen ‘24 — who scored the ninth-most goals and second most assists in team history — and Sonder Sonsterud ‘24 who played 29 games and started 21 at center back.
As more Norwegians inevitably come to Hamden and don the navy and gold, these four will serve as the foundation for future international influence on the program.
“These guys have proven that they’re ready,” Da Costa said. “They’re training hard enough and well enough to earn spots to start in games, and hopefully they can maintain that but through our rotation we know players get in, and they get in pretty frequently so they’ll have their opportunities, but these guys have acclimated pretty quickly.”
