A goalie on the Riverhawks men’s soccer team played for the Trinidad and Tobago Under 17 national team before coming to AACC.
Jayeim Blake, a first-year transfer studies student, moved to the United States to play college-level soccer. Blake said his goal is to make another national team.
“In Trinidad … soccer is not really a big thing after a certain level,” Blake said. “After high school, it’s not really the best, so I transferred to further that.”
Blake said he started playing soccer at age 13 and made the Riverhawks team at 17. He played for Trinidad and Tobago’s U17 national team from September 2022 until January.
Blake said players must perform at a high level to make the national team in the Caribbean country.
Blake said he tried out for the national team and was selected from more than 100 other players. The selected players then went through trials and practices before they officially made the team.
“[Being on] the national team is playing for your country,” Blake said. “You [have to] be playing at a professional level.”
Still, he noted, “If you play professionally and get paid, you’re not allowed to move back down [to college sports]. Because we were underage, we didn’t get paid to play professionally. It’s kind of like I played at the professional level without the label.”
Head coach Nick Cosentino said coaching Blake is like working with other players.
“Soccer is a world game,” Cosentino said. “Soccer is soccer.”
Elijah Belcher, a first-year computer science student and men’s soccer midfielder, said it is great having someone like Blake on the team.
“He always has a smile on. Everyone’s always happy to be around him,” he said.