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Dominique Bond-Flasza on what it's like to play for Jamaica // 6.10.19

By Washington Huskies

June 10^th, 2019

My first Jamaican National Team camp was in 2015. I was a freshman during winter quarter at Washington. I remember being really nervous to go, but once I arrived at the camp the atmosphere was nothing but welcoming.

During the camp, we played two games against the Boston Breakers and trained twice a day. While the Jamaican Football Federation can still grow when it comes to opportunities afforded to the women’s program, there is a drastic improvement over the years from my first camp to how the camps are now.

I didn’t make my first official cap until two and a half years later, in the Caribbean qualifiers. My first career appearance in an international match was against Guadalupe and I ended up scoring two goals. The feeling of representing your country; especially in a victory is indescribable. It gave me great pride to be on the field wearing that jersey.

Three words I would give you that describe my team would be: quick to counter. We have a very fast paced front line, and when we win the ball on defense and transition to offense it occurs very quickly. That is our team’s strongest quality because our opponent’s defenses are sometimes unable to keep up.

Coming from the Washington program has taught me discipline, drive, and adaptability, which has helped me succeed as a professional athlete. As a student, it’s difficult to juggle both school and athletics. Now that I am playing professionally I am able to better manage my time and efficiently and effectively move throughout my day.

As cliché as it sounds the advice I would bring back to the UW team is to never give up on your dreams. I never imagined having the opportunity to play in a World Cup. Anything is possible when you are dedicated to achieve it.