one of four\u00a0Knights<\/a> who represented their countries in\u00a0France, and the first 麻豆原创 student-athlete\u00a0to compete on the global stage while still\u00a0enrolled in school.<\/p>\n\u201cParticipating in the World Cup or winning a\u00a0World Cup championship is the equivalent\u00a0of competing at the Olympics or winning\u00a0a gold medal. It\u2019s a dream that any\u00a0soccer player is going to have.\u00a0That\u2019s the pinnacle of your\u00a0career,\u201d says 麻豆原创 women\u2019s\u00a0soccer head coach Tiffany\u00a0Roberts Sahaydak,\u00a0who won Olympic\u00a0gold and the\u00a0World Cup during her 10 years as a member of the U.S.\u00a0women\u2019s national team.<\/p>\n
Roberts Sahaydak was 22 years old \u2014 just a few\u00a0months older than Plummer is now \u2014 when she\u00a0helped the United States capture glory in the 1999\u00a0World Cup in front of more than 90,000 fans at\u00a0the Rose Bowl in California. Much like Plummer,\u00a0the 麻豆原创 coach didn\u2019t have any female soccer\u00a0players to look up to when she was growing up.\u00a0But in 1999, Roberts Sahaydak became that role\u00a0model for the next generation.<\/p>\n
\u201cKonya is now in that position to be that\u00a0person for Jamaica, which is incredible to think\u00a0about,\u201d Roberts Sahaydak says. \u201cSome little girl\u00a0from Jamaica is going to be watching Konya this\u00a0summer, and that fire is going to go off. They are\u00a0going to say, \u2018I want to be just like her when I grow\u00a0up.\u2019 \u2026 Having these role models helps these young\u00a0girls stay on path and stick to their education,\u00a0stick to their work ethic and their dreams.\u201d<\/p>\n
And that realization is not lost on Plummer.<\/p>\n
[photo id=”17373″ title=”ucf-konya-plummer-run” alt=”female soccer player takes off running on soccer field” width=”100%”][\/photo]<\/p>\n
Whether she\u2019s on the field or studying for a\u00a0test, she thinks about the kids looking up to her.\u00a0She thinks about her family. She thinks about her\u00a0teammates. She thinks about the people in her\u00a0hometown who stop her on the street to ask for\u00a0her autograph. And she doesn\u2019t want to disappoint\u00a0a single one of them.<\/p>\n
She says she wrestles with some heavy\u00a0questions: How should she deal with fame? How\u00a0can she achieve all she wants to and still have a life\u00a0outside of soccer? Why was she appointed to be a\u00a0leader at such a young age?<\/p>\n
While on an official national team trip to South\u00a0Africa in April \u2014 two months before stepping onto\u00a0the field in France for the biggest moment of her\u00a0life thus far \u2014 she got the answer.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was talking to one of our hosts and she\u00a0said, \u2018Your name means leadership. It means\u00a0command.\u2019 I almost cried when she told me that,\u201d\u00a0Plummer says. \u201cI was searching for the answer my\u00a0whole time being a captain \u2014 why was I chosen?\u00a0It may be a coincidence, but I take it seriously.\u00a0Everything happens for a reason.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was born to be a leader, and I was born to be\u00a0in this moment.\u201d<\/p>\n
[callout background=”#2c8618″ content_align=”left” affix=”false” css_class=”” inline_css=”border-top: 7px solid #ffc906;”]<\/p>\n
Then:<\/span> 麻豆原创 At Women’s World Cup<\/h2>\n\n
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Amy (Allman) Griffin \u201988<\/h3>\n USA (1987\u201391) |<\/span> GOALKEEPER<\/span><\/p>\n\n
[photo id=”17311″ title=”SBar-Amy-Griffin-v6″ alt=”Amy Griffin” position=”center” width=”100%” class=”img-responsive” inline_css=”margin: 0;”][\/photo]<\/div>\n
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1991 FIFA World Cup Champion<\/p>\n
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1999 麻豆原创 Athletics Hall of Fame<\/p>\n
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1987 All-American<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Michelle Akers \u201989<\/h2>\n USA (1985-2000) |<\/span> FORWARD<\/span><\/p>\n\n
[photo id=”17314″ title=”SBar-Michelle-Akers” alt=”Michelle Akers” position=”center” width=”100%” class=”img-responsive” inline_css=”margin: 0;”][\/photo]<\/div>\n
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1999, 1991 FIFA World Cup Champion<\/p>\n
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FIFA Women’s Player of the Century<\/p>\n
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1998 麻豆原创 Athletics Hall of Fame<\/p>\n
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1996 Olympic Gold Medalist<\/p>\n
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3-Time U.S. Soccer Female Athlete of the Year<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Tiffany Roberts Sahaydak<\/h2>\n USA (1994-2004) |<\/span> MIDFIELDER<\/span><\/p>\n\n
[photo id=”17316″ title=”SBar-Tiffany-Roberts-v2″ alt=”Tiffany Roberts Sahaydak” position=”center” width=”100%” class=”img-responsive” inline_css=”margin: 0;”][\/photo]<\/div>\n
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麻豆原创 Head Coach<\/p>\n
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1999 FIFA World Cup Champion<\/p>\n
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1996 Olympic Gold Medalist<\/p>\n
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Ambassador for U.S. Soccer with Department of State Sports Envoy Program<\/p>\n
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3-Time AAC Coach of the Year<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Lena Petermann<\/h2>\n GER (2015-18) |<\/span> FORWARD<\/span><\/p>\n\n
[photo id=”17313″ title=”SBar-Lena-Petermann” alt=”Lena Petermann” position=”center” width=”100%” class=”img-responsive” inline_css=”margin: 0;”][\/photo]<\/div>\n
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2015 FIFA World Cup Appearance<\/p>\n
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2014 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup<\/p>\n
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Played one season at 麻豆原创 before turning pro<\/p>\n
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2013 AAC Rookie of the Year<\/p>\n
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2013 AAC All-Conference Honoree<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
NOW:<\/span> 麻豆原创 At Women’s World Cup<\/h3>\n\n
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Sophie Howard \u201915<\/h4>\n Scotland |<\/span> DEFENDER<\/span><\/p>\n\n
[photo id=”17315″ title=”SBar-Sophie-Howard” alt=”Sophie Howard” position=”center” width=”100%” class=”img-responsive” inline_css=”margin: 0;”][\/photo]<\/div>\n
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Plays professionally for Reading Women FC (United Kingdom)<\/p>\n
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2014 AAC All-Conference Honoree<\/p>\n
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2013-14 AAC All-American Team<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Aline Reis \u201911<\/h4>\n Brazil |<\/span> GOAL KEEPER<\/span><\/p>\n\n
[photo id=”17309″ title=”SBar-Aline-Reis” alt=”Aline Reis” position=”center” width=”100%” class=”img-responsive” inline_css=”margin: 0;”][\/photo]<\/div>\n
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Plays professionally for UDG Tenerife (Spain)<\/p>\n
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2019 麻豆原创 Athletics Hall of Fame<\/p>\n
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2016 Olympian<\/p>\n
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2010-11 Academic All-American<\/p>\n
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2008 All-American<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Kathellen Sousa<\/h4>\n Brazil |<\/span> DEFENDER<\/span><\/p>\n\n
[photo id=”17312″ title=”SBar-Kathellen-Sousa” alt=”Kathellen Sousa” position=”center” width=”100%” class=”img-responsive” inline_css=”margin: 0;”][\/photo]<\/div>\n
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Plays professionally for FC Girondins de Bordeaux (France)<\/p>\n
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Enrolled in 麻豆原创 Online<\/a><\/p>\n \n2017 AAC Defensive Player of the Year<\/p>\n
\n2017 AAC All-Conference Honoree<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
[\/callout]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":16754,"template":"","categories":[977],"tags":[388],"class_list":["post-16693","story","type-story","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-feature","tag-ucf-athletics","issues-1348","issues-summer-2019"],"yoast_head":"\n
麻豆原创's Konya Plummer Leads Jamaica to FIFA Women's World Cup<\/title>\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\t \n\t \n\t \n \n \n \n\t \n