By Shy’Ana Thomas
Freshman Finnish defender Eevi Eskola made her debut for the Grand Rapids Community College women’s soccer team during the 2024 season. To become a Raider, Eskola traveled from Finland after graduating high school this past school year. At GRCC, she played a total of 1,148 minutes across 15 matches, starting 14 of them.
Eskola started playing soccer at a young age and was influenced by her older brother, especially coming from Europe, where soccer is the most popular sport around.
“I started playing when I was just 6 years old because my brother played. And what made me continue is the teams and the sport,” she said.
Esokla is from the northern part of Europe, coming from a village called Veikkola in the Kirkkonummi municipality of Uusimaa, Finland, in the Scandinavian region. She graduated in the spring of 2024 from Kuninkaantien Lukio in Espoo, Finland where she worked and played soccer.
Esokla came to Grand Rapids for the first time at 17 years old when she did an exchange year at Grand Rapids Northview High School from 2021-22. Now she’s 20 years old and decided to make a return.
“I really liked Grand Rapids, Michigan, and the people here,” Eksola said. “And I liked that you could still play sports and study, because (In Finland) we don’t have that and things like college sports. Plus, my boyfriend also lives here.”
So what inspired Esokla to leave her home to come to Michigan?
The inspiration for Esokla to change the scenery was the contrast between the two that made her want to come back. And for her, the opportunity was to play soccer while also doing her studies.
“Well, we don’t have college sports so that makes it different. But here it’s more that we work together. The team does stuff together like the same hairstyles and stuff. And also for paying I would say soccer here is more offensive,” she said.
Eskola played club soccer back in her home country for a club called Nummelan Palloseura, or NuPs. She played for six years as a defender.
Eskolsheaid said she enjoyed her first season at GRCC.
“I really enjoyed it – everyone on the team and in the school,” she said. “I wasn’t used to having so many practices but I still enjoyed it and having the team was really nice.”
Eskola said she made new friends and reunited with an old friend while playing Raider soccer.
“I knew Lilian before because I knew her before my exchange and coming to GRCC, so we played together a lot. I also became friends with Keaton, she was also a freshman so we could bond and stuff while playing.”
The two friends Eskola mentioned were sophomore defender Lillian Burns-Warner and freshman defender Keaton Morris, who played with her during her first season as a GRCC Raider.
Head women’s soccer coach Jason Hill spoke about what it was like having Eskola on his team this year.
“Eevi is a wonderful player and a great person to coach,” Hill stated in an email to The Collegiate. “All of her teammates really like to keep working hard. We have a few chats here and there throughout the season about the difference between America and Finland which is fun to learn about our differences and similarities. I’m very happy Eevi is on our team, and she has a great sense of humor.”
Now that the fall season is over, Eskola was asked what plans she had for the future and if she wanted to keep playing soccer. She’s made new friends and gotten new opportunities from GRCC.
“I want to live in the States. I do want to continue to play soccer but I don’t know yet where I want to study after.”
The Raiders season recently came to an end with their overall stats being 5-9-1, Eskola said the team is hoping for a good season next school year which will mark year three for GRCC’s soccer team. With the returning freshmen and newer faces to complete the upcoming season and what it can bring while still making history in the process will be something we will all look forward to.
