International players bring perspective to men’s soccer

BY ALEXIS BOHLINGER
Cardinal Staff

The Saint Mary’s University men’s soccer team is bringing on an international storm. With a total of eight international students, the 2009 soccer team is one of the most diverse athletic teams SMU has ever seen. “We are lucky to have these guys,”
said Head Coach Chris Dembiec. “Their presence on the team gives a different perspective to what we do.”

The Cardinals recruted in four international players as freshman this year: Ovin Mummohan (England), Tom Onsembe (Kenya), Abdulai Habib (Nigeria) and Ji-Hoon Kim (South Korea). The team also has four returning upperclassmen from other countries: Jovenel D’Haiti (Haiti), Christian Reyes (Mexico), Jermaine Walker (Jamaica) and Juamaine Venter (South Africa).

The presence of international students in the SMU community gives both the American and the international students a
taste of a different culture. “My experience playing soccer here has been great, even though sometimes it is tough being a seminarian, a student and an athlete,” said Reyes. “I enjoy it a lot because it teaches me discipline, teamwork
and commitment.”

According to Dembiec, there are no collegiate athletics in Kenya, and there are so many soccer players in England that a lot of
people do not get the opportunity to play on an organized team. At SMU, these guys can receive a college education and play
a sport they love, said Dembiec. “I have met a family through soccer and friends who are loving, caring and kind thanks to the leadership of a coach whose personality never ceases to amaze me,” Onsembe said. Although Onsembe said he is not looking forward to about the cold weather in Minnesota, he is fully enjoying his experience at SMU, despite being so far away from home. “I found that some of our guys were very homesick,” Dembiec said. “But soccer really helped with the adjustment process because they immediately made 29 new friends.”

They love to play soccer, and that is why they have all come together to share in this experiencek, said Onsembe. “Every morning I wake up looking forward to the time practice starts. It’s never a disappointment.”