The University of Mississippi Athletics
Souza Brings Brazilian Flair To Ole Miss
10/6/2011 | Soccer
Oct. 6, 2011
OXFORD, Miss. - When most people think of the best countries in the world when it comes to soccer, Brazil is often one that comes to most people's minds and rightfully so.
However, when it comes to women's soccer in Brazil, that isn't necessarily the case - but you'd never know that by watching Ole Miss' Rafaelle Souza play.
Twelve games into her first year at Ole Miss, Souza is already leaving a mark on the program as well as in the SEC. She leads the league in points (24) and has also recorded an SEC-best nine goals to go along with six assists. She is poised to break into three of the Rebels' single-season record books this weekend.
She is two points, two assists and one goal away from breaking into the top-10 in the Ole Miss single-season record book for each category - and the team still has at least seven games left to play this year.
"In the United States, soccer is totally organized," Souza said. "In Brazil, there isn't professional soccer for women. There, soccer is still a sport for men and that is why I came to the United States to play. I know Brazil has good players; the best soccer players in the world are Brazilian, but women's soccer is practically non-existent."
Souza, a native of Salvador, Brazil, said she enjoys living in the United States and playing for Ole Miss.
"The United States is an amazing place. The worst part is the distance from Brazil," she said. "I don't have just one favorite thing about playing for Ole Miss. I like the campus, the field and Oxford. My coaches and team are like my second family."
One of the biggest things Souza misses from home is her family. She also misses the food at home and wishes Oxford had more Brazilian food.
"I try to call my family for at least 10 minutes every day," Souza said. "I also miss the food from Brazil. In the United States there are a lot of different restaurants like Italian, Mexican and Chinese. However, I'd like to see more Brazilian restaurants."
In addition to coming to another country and having to learn to adjust to living in a different place and adapting to being a student-athlete, Souza also had to learn the language. When Souza came to Oxford this summer, she did not speak English.
After taking an extensive English training course this summer at Ole Miss, Souza has adjusted well to living in the United States and being a student-athlete.
"I like my classes, especially my math and physics classes," Souza said. "I like them because in most of them I use numbers. They are a universal language, such as soccer, so they are easier for me."
Souza also has international playing experience as she participated in the FIFA U17 Women's World Cup in New Zealand in 2008 and the FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup in Germany in 2010. She hopes to one day play for the full Brazilian National Team.
"Every player dreams to play for her national team and I don't think differently. I would love to play for Brazil's National Team," Souza said. "The distance between the United States and Brazil is huge, however, I hope that this international experience will help me with my dream. Right now I am playing in one of the best countries in the world when it comes to women's soccer - it's a good point for me."
