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May, 2020
Internationals SC alumna Christina Trickett has accomplished so much in her career. The Independence, Ohio native has played at the highest level of college soccer, making 28 appearances for the UCF Knights from 2016-2019.
“My time at UCF taught me a lot about myself and how to always strive to continually grow as a person and never settle for less than excellent,” Trickett said. “The American Athletic Conference had a tough level of competition with players and teams hungry to succeed. It fostered an environment to grow physically, mentally, tactically, and technically to grow as a player.”
She was called up for a U19 U.S. Women’s National Team training camp in 2015 and was a U.S. Soccer Training Center attendee in 2011. She was also a Super Y Nationals ODP Camp selection in 2011. Each of these provided important recognition for Trickett’s hard work and determination.
“My time with the national team opened my eyes up to being more versatile and open as a player,” Trickett said. “It gave me a chance to see that there are many ways to play one position, and how to be effective with decision making. I took away many different lessons on how to act, train, and think like a professional that has helped me in life, the academic setting, and especially soccer.”
What stands out the most is her ability to win at every level. Trickett won three championships in 2012 alone, finishing as a Super Y U14 national champion, U12 State Cup champion, and an OHSAA Division II state champion. She followed that up with another trophy one year later, winning an OHSAA Division I state title.
“Experiencing different championships was rewarding for the hard work that was put into achieving each one of them,” Trickett said. “They all posed different hurdles to overcome and being able to do that with different teams and teammates was inspiring to know that I can make a difference with the many people I get to play with.”
Trickett credits her tremendous success with the foundation she received at Internationals SC.
“The Internationals provided me with a competitive environment to foster my soccer skills, mental strength, and technique further,” Trickett said. “They supported me and pushed me to always strive to be better. I carried that with me to everything that I set my mind to, not only soccer endeavors.”
According to Trickett, playing in the ECNL was particularly beneficial.
“The ECNL helped me transition because I was competing against other players who were also entering the college environment after club soccer finished,” Trickett said. “I had many opportunities to play with older players to help my speed of game improve in order to be ready come college game time.”
Club and ECNL Director Keri Sarver had high expectations for Trickett after a decorated career at ISC.
"We are happy to see Christina return to the Cleveland area for her two remaining years of eligibility,” Sarver said. “Her determination to fight back after a series of injuries early in her college career is admirable. Her soccer intelligence and creativity on the ball will bring an immediate boost to the CSU roster. Her goal of moving on to medical school is equally as impressive... pursuing a degree in medicine while competing at a high level athletically takes a huge amount of discipline and commitment. These are qualities that Christina consistently displayed during her youth career with the Internationals.”
Today Trickett is excited about the opportunity to return to Northeast Ohio to play for Cleveland State University.
“I chose to return to Ohio, and especially CSU for several reasons. I wanted to finish out my time playing soccer surrounded by family and my hometown where my journey of soccer began,” Trickett said. “The city is a beautiful hidden gem, and I was intrigued to receive the opportunity to live there. I am also pursuing medical school when I am done playing, so I wanted to come home and make those connections for a future career.”
Trickett has big plans for her time at CSU.
“At CSU I hope to bring a conference title back to the city. My short-term plans for soccer include finishing out my career at CSU, while earning my master’s degree. After that I plan on going to medical school in the hopes of becoming a physician.”
Cleveland State women’s soccer head coach Dallas Boyer is very excited to have Trickett on board for the fall.
“The tradition of some of the best players in Cleveland coming home to play is very much alive and well with Christina's decision to become a Viking,” Boyer said. “From her experiences attending USA Youth National Team events to last season playing significant minutes for one of the best teams in the country, she brings a unique resume with her into our group. Having this opportunity to provide her the chance to finish her career on the field with the Cleveland skyline as her backdrop and family and friends consistently in the stands to support her is going to be a lot of fun.”
Boyer believes that Trickett is a good fit for the program.
“Christina is a fantastic fit in our style of play as a very versatile attacking personality with excellent technical ability,” Boyer said. “Depending on the formations that we choose to move forward with for this group, she could have a lot of success out wide in space, play making underneath forwards as an attacking central midfielder, or leading the attack as a forward. In any role, we will certainly look to give her some freedom on where to find a variety of opportunities to be interesting and create chances for us. Every other attacking player on the field will become that much more individually dangerous themselves as well as a result of incorporating her into our attack.”
Trickett’s success at every level makes her the perfect player to build a team around. She should be one of the best players in the entire Horizon League the moment she steps on the field. And that’s why such big things are expected from Cleveland State this fall.
Photo Credit: UCF Athletics