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As if being a student-athlete wasn’t stressful enough, Florin Wagner picked up the role far from home.

The German midfielder came to Canada this summer to play soccer for the Manitoba Bisons. It’s a rare move for someone from a country that lives and breathes the beautiful game.

“The experience to have in Canada to play soccer and study at the same time is a good deal,” Wagner said. Tweet This

But living abroad had its challenges. Specifically for Wagner, being nearly 7,000 kilometres away from her family.

“It’s a different time at home so if I want to talk to them, they’re already sleeping,” Wagner said. “Even when we come back from a trip and everyone is being picked up by their family. It would be great if your parents were also there.”

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To kick her homesickness, Wagner relied on soccer. The rookie scored a team-high eight goals this season including one from roughly fifty yards out.

“She’s a great competitor and also has a great vision of the game,” Bisons head coach Vanessa Martinez Lagunas said. Tweet This

“She has a really strong defensive game as well. I think all of our players can learn a lot from her.”

A teacher to those who taught her so much about life in a new country.

“The team helped me with everything,” Wagner said. “I feel the people around me made it really easy.”