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Jasmine Sampson playing for Radford University
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Not many individuals, let alone collegiate student-athletes, get the opportunity to represent one's country. For Radford women's soccer senior Jasmine Sampson, that opportunity became a reality.

Since her father was born and raised in Trinidad and Tobago, Sampson, a native of Germantown, Md., has dual citizenship. This enabled Sampson to be on the market for Trinidad and Tobago when the national team was looking to complete its roster for two November games that would decide if the country would qualify for the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup.

What was her initial reaction?

"I was really surprised when I got the call," Sampson recalled. "I didn't even know I was still on their radar. Everything happened so fast, so I was surprised, nervous, excited and anxious all at the same time."

Nervous? Anxious? Probably so, for the 20-year-old who was preparing with the Highlanders for their Big South tournament quarterfinal game against Liberty at the time. With the call-up, Sampson missed that quarterfinal game, but she could not pass up an opportunity of a lifetime.

"Being able to compete at the highest level of my sport means a lot to me," Sampson expressed. "I know it is something a lot of people dream of, and since I got the chance, I wanted to make the most of it — not only for me, but for those who had not gotten the opportunity that I did. I especially wanted to be a part of such a historic Trinidad and Tobago team. These young women had been playing together for over 15 years, and they were finally only two games away from getting into the World Cup. I feel really proud and honored to be a part of a team that had fought through so much and represented Trinidad and Tobago at the highest level. Also, to be able to follow in my dad's footsteps and represent his country meant the world to me."

Looking ahead, Sampson believes this opportunity will only help her when she applies for jobs in a few more months.

"I think this experience will help me because it gave me international insight," Sampson points out. "This could come in handy during interviews and even during jobs I may have in the future. Since I want to go into corporate communication, I'm almost positive I will have to interact on an international level. So this experience will definitely come into play there."

Sampson, who transferred to RU from Syracuse prior to the 2013 season, credits her teammates and support staff for positioning her where she would be ready for a potential call-up.

"My teammates prepared me by being very competitive and always playing with high intensity during training," Sampson described. "The fact I had been practicing with them throughout the season prepared me not only physically, but also mentally. The support from my teammates when I announced I had gotten called to train with Trinidad and Tobago was very helpful for my confidence. In addition, Kara [Wade] helped me prepare by doing extra conditioning sessions with our strength and conditioning coach, Michele Huffman."

Even with all the success Radford has enjoyed under head coach Ben Sohrabi, Sampson became the first Highlander to be called up to a national team under the three-time Big South Coach of the Year.

"I am so happy for Jasmine to have gotten this opportunity," Sohrabi said. "To play in a World Cup international situation and get a chance to earn a cap is huge. She has gotten to experience something very few in this world get to do. I can't say enough about what a great young lady Jasmine is. Even though we missed her at the conference tournament, we definitely wanted her to pursue this dream. I hope she will get other opportunities to represent Trinidad and Tobago, and our program wishes her the best of luck."