A Closer Look - Season 1 (Akeyla Furbert)
The ultimate goal. Some may say that the ultimate goal for a collegiate student-athlete in his or her given sport is to win a national title. However, there is a greater good for some student-athletes and USC Aiken standout Akeyla Furbert was able to experience it first hand – by representing her country.
A native of Warwick, Bermuda, the junior midfielder has had a busy life since her pre-teen days on a country that spans less than 22 square miles long that boasts just 66,000 people.
Furbert, a fast, savvy, intellectual women’s soccer player, has represented her national team since the age of 13.
As a youngster, Furbert was quite natural on the pitch. At the age of 10, she began playing for a club team. Soon after she started playing for him, the coach became the U-17 national coach.
Having improved two years later, Furbert once again played for him. After that, an academy was started.
“The older girls were not in age groups because there weren’t enough to be divided, so they put us together with the women,” Furbert stated.
She continued working with the team, practiced and represented her country proudly. In 2007, Furbert began playing World Cup qualifiers in 2007 with the U-17 national team. The squad faced off with other countries, but did not have “real competition” for years.
“In 2007, we played a lot of ‘friendlies,’” Furbert said.
Four years later, Furbert and her team played Olympic qualifiers with the Women’s National Team.
“Although a lot of countries have tryouts, we were just moved up and competed on the team,” Furbert stated. “By that time, a lot of the players I started with had stopped playing for one reason or another.”
Fast forward another year and Furbert made her debut with the Pacers. After a stellar campaign in 2012, she represented her country at the Island Games in 2013. Unlike a lot of student-athletes who go home and take time to recover in the off-season, Furbert continued to improve.
“Every summer and winter break I go home and play soccer with the National Team,” Furbert said. “We practice so we are prepared for whatever comes our way – in terms of the National Team and for collegiate competition.
“The Island Games are for small countries. We hosted it and it was very exciting. I scored a goal in the first game, which came against Greenland. We matched up with Greenland again in the tournament finals and won the championship.”
Just a couple of months ago, her country took part in the World Cup qualifying. The team played Turksncaicos, St. Kitts and the Cayman Islands. In the opening victory over St. Kitts, Furbert blasted a shot past the keeper for the first goal of the match en route to the 3-1 win.
“It is a great feeling to contribute to your team and country,” Furbert stated. “Scoring in front of my family in the Island Games was amazing and scoring against St. Kitts gave my team a boost against a team we had to defeat in order to move to the next round. Words can’t describe the feeling I had when a shot finds the back of the net in a qualifying match.”
The goal she scored in the Island Games may have given Furbert some confidence, but with another year of Peach Belt Conference competition behind her, she parlayed it to a successful summer campaign. By doing so and gaining even more experience, Furbert is set for her best season yet with the Pacers.
“I had trouble with my confidence when I first arrived at USC Aiken,” Furbert said. “With the experiences I’ve had the past couple of years, I am really looking forward to my junior season. I believe I can help our team and guide us to a level we have never reached.”
Few can say they have done something as special as Furbert at the next level. With her leadership and knowledge, Furbert and the rest of the upperclassmen could lead USC Aiken to the team’s first-ever postseason in 2014.
