Iro Fakinou began her soccer career in the Athens over 5,000 miles from the home of the Bobcats — Athens, Greece.
Raised among the crumbling marble pillars and stark white statues depicting the gods and beasts of a time almost as many years away from the present as she is miles from home, Fakinou came to Ohio with one goal: to represent her country professionally on the field.
“I started playing soccer when I was young,” Fakinou said. “My dream is to be a pro soccer player. So yeah, I thought coming to the USA will help me achieve my goals.”
Recently, she got one step closer to achieving this goal. Fakinou was called up to Greece’s national U19 team to face off against Portugal, where she played fiercely on the international stage. Although Greece fell 2-0, the freshman midfielder fought hard and came out of the experience a better player.
“It's an honor, and I'm really grateful that I have this opportunity,” she said. “It's really cool because, I mean, everyone wants to represent their country.”
Fakinou remembers where she was when she got the call she would be representing Greece on the international stage vividly.
“I remember my coach called me,” she said. “I was in the car, and I didn't realize (what it was for), but yeah, it was … a really nice experience.”
Before coming to Ohio, Fakinou played for several teams in Greece and was the team captain of the U17 Greece national team in the 2022-23 season.
Despite being a younger member of the Ohio team, she is a leader on the field. Fakinou plays tenaciously and technically, often setting up her teammates to score. In her first game back from Greece Oct. 6, she sent an assist to Rylee Mensel to put Ohio in a dominant position against Akron, which the Bobcats would beat 3-0.
Coming from Greece to the States has made Fakinou adapt to a different play style that focuses more on endurance compared to mechanical strategies.
“It's a bit different,” she said. “Soccer in Greece and mostly in Europe, it's more technical and tactical. Here, it's more physical with more running and that stuff.”
Entering Ohio, she hoped to bring the parts of the game that non-European teams focus less on so she could benefit the whole group.
“I think that … when I played for Greece, it helped me with my technical and tactical (skills), so I would be more prepared here to make the difference somehow,” Fakinou said. “… So I'm trying to develop my technical skills so I can help the team more with that.”
Fakinou’s career across multiple competitive club teams in Greece has given her a sharp eye for detail on the field, but the physically demanding characteristics of American soccer have allowed her to build on her weak points.
“I think I really improved my stamina and my physicality with OU,” she said. “Yeah, and that's like, the stuff that I have been lacking.”
Despite Fakinou’s professional achievements and aspirations, her passion for soccer stems from her family, friends and childhood.
“I started playing with my friends in the yard of my school,” she said. “Also, my grandma was a really big fan of soccer, so we went together and played.”
Playing for Ohio has given Fakinou a lot of valuable experience. Being a young player on a talented team can limit playtime in the early stages of an athletic career; nonetheless, Fakinou has racked up over 400 minutes, an impressive achievement for a freshman on a stacked lineup.
Across all Ohio sports, heading into a competitive matchup against a tough opponent can be nerve-racking. For Fakinou, preparing mentally to play for her country in an international match was simple.
“I just tell myself to do whatever to win and perform well, because wearing a shirt that has your national team on it, it's inspiring and it motivates me,” she said.
Fakinou, at just 18 years, old possesses an impressive resume. Many people would likely feel content after joining a strong DI collegiate team and then representing their home in a high-stakes international contest, but Fakinou doesn’t plan on stopping there.
“I have some more games with that team, and then the next level is the women's national team,” she said.
