Skip To Main Content

Upcoming Events and Recent Results

Western Illinois University Athletics

vs
George Hartmann

Ambassador of the game

| By: WIU Athletic Communications

WIU's Narine represents school, family and country on the pitch

To say soccer has taken Western Illinois' Audrey Narine around the world is an understatement.
The Toronto, Canada native and Leatherneck defender logged plenty of mileage, suiting up for the Guyana Under-20 National team and Western Illinois this year.
Playing collegiately and internationally is a dream come true for the junior-to-be as she heads into a busy summer.
"It's been a good experience so far. I've learned a lot from the coaches, Coach Ivan (Joseph) and Coach Paul, and I've met a lot of new friends on the team," said Narine, who joined the national team in June of 2019. "Last semester I went to Puerto Rico for a week-long training camp and we played with the senior team and we played the Puerto Rican senior national team there.
"It was definitely new, the level of play was definitely a jump. There was a girl who plays professionally in Iceland, a goalie, and all of them have university experience and have some years on me which is really cool. I learned a lot from them."
While the competition is intimidating, playing for Guyana was an opportunity Narine would not pass on.
"You can play for a national team when you're half of the nationality, so my dad is full Guyanese so I was able to get my passport and citizenship status through him," Narine said. "In Toronto they have an embassy from Guyana, so I did all the paperwork there and they sent it back to Guyana so my first tournament when I was playing I was able to go to Guyana, pick up a passport, and then be eligible to play."
For Narine's family, watching their daughter excel is exciting, but not nearly as exciting as watching her embrace her heritage.
"I think Audrey has learned more about her cultural heritage," her father, Tracy Narine, said. "Having travelled to Guyana for a CONCACAF tournament she saw places that I grew up visiting when I was young. Since this experience, she continues to want to learn more about her family background in which her grandma (my mother) is writing a book for Audrey and her sister.
"I was happy when Audrey said that she wanted to play for Guyana as the coach had asked a few times and I was not sure. But seeing how definite she was, made me certain that it was a good choice. I feel very proud that Audrey has had multiple chances to represent Guyana, which is the country I was born in. Soccer has really grown in Guyana since I was a child so it is really special to see her being a part of the development in the nation, especially for women."
Being able to play internationally has been a blessing for Narine, gaining experience and seeing her game improve, while learning what it takes to play at the international level.
"I just switched positions here so it will be different. I play forward or wing with them and I just got switched back to defense here," she said. "I think it's helped grow my confidence that if I can play and have an impact with a national team, I can believe in myself and what I'm doing here. I have the ability to do the same things.
"The speed of play is different on an international level. They play with FIFA's rules so you're only allowed three subs, but here you're allowed to sub a lot more so the pace of play is much faster than it is internationally because when I play there you have to, not conserve energy, but you only have three subs and after you make those three subs, that's it – everyone is staying on the field. But here if you get tired you can ask for a sub, take ten minutes, and come back on to keep the intensity level high."
Her coach here at Western has also seen Narine make gains on the pitch.
"I think it more so impacts her on the field. She is a very quiet person off the field so those changes we probably wouldn't notice as drastically as the ones on the field, but usually when she returns from playing with the national team she comes back almost a very different person," Western Illinois women's soccer coach Josée Primeau said. "Her fitness is in a totally different place, her touch is more calm, and she plays with more confidence than she did before she left.
"This fall was a prime example – she left a certain way and came back a different person. She was more relaxed, her fitness level had gone up, her confidence grew, so I think for her and Western it directly impacts her play on the field."
And whether it is representing Western Illinois, Canada, the United States, Guyana, her family or herself, Narine's drive to improve and learn has come as a sense of pride to her family and those around her.
"We recognize the fairly unique position Audrey has in being able to play both collegiate and international soccer and are extremely proud of her," her mother, Christine Chang said. "We also recognize that without the support of her Western Illinois coaches, this would not be possible.
"We are absolutely grateful for this support in making Audrey's dream of playing university soccer come true and along the way, representing her father's birth country with pride!"
For Narine, the ability to play the sport she loves and be an ambassador is something she does not take for granted.
"It definitely means a lot to not only represent myself but my dad and to play soccer, the thing that I've been doing since I was four or five, it means a lot to me," she said. "There's definitely a mix of feelings. I'm obviously nervous but at the same time I'm proud and very passionate about the sport and country so I just try to play my best to do well and represent the country, myself, and my family."
 
Print Friendly Version

Related Videos

Now Playing:

Related Stories