Konstantina Giannou misses a lot about her hometown.
For her, the meals from Riza, Greece, taste better than the food in Ohio. Her favorite dish, Soutzoukakia — similar to meatballs with red tomato sauce but with special spices to add flavor — isn’t a dish commonly served in the U.S., and certainly not in Athens, Ohio.
There’s not as many beaches or sunny days in Ohio, either. It’s been an adjustment for Giannou, but she knows it was one that needed to be made.
Giannou, a junior transfer from Ohio Valley University, originally hails from Greece. She came to the United States three years ago to play collegiate soccer.
Greek universities do not have soccer teams, which meant if Giannou wanted to continue to grow as a player in Greece, she would have to join a club team for her local city. That level of play was not enough for her.
Giannou instead decided to continue both her education and soccer career in the U.S.
Once she moved to the United States, she immediately noticed the difference in work ethic.
“In Greece, there is so much talent, but they don’t put in the work,” Giannou said. “People here are more dedicated to what they do.”
She’s also noticed a difference in play styles. American soccer emphasizes physicality and aggressiveness. In Greece, there’s a tighter focus around finesse and skill moves, a philosophy that was also prevalent at Ohio Valley.
For Giannou, the fit was perfect at Ohio Valley. The Fighting Scots won back-to-back Great Midwest Athletic Conference Championships in 2017 and 2018, and even earned its first NCAA tournament victory in 2018.
Giannou was at the pinnacle of their success — she became the Fighting Scots’ all-time leader goal-scorer with 24 goals in just two years.
She found herself growing as a player as Ohio Valley thrived. She also began to grow as a person.
One of her biggest takeaways while with the Fighting Scots was figuring out how to work and communicate with people from diverse backgrounds. Ohio Valley typically had more players from Latin American countries than the U.S., so Giannou quickly learned how to connect with people from diverse backgrounds.
After two years of great play at a Division II level, both individually and with a team, Giannou knew she wanted to make the jump to DI.
There was never a doubt about where she wanted to go.
During her freshman year, Giannou had a scrimmage in Athens and noticed how hard-working and united the Bobcats played in the scrimmage.
“After that, I said ‘Oh my god. I would like to play on this team,’” Giannou said.
Giannou is bringing a championship mentality and her own talents to the Bobcats. She wants to keep winning titles, and she believes Ohio can help her accomplish that goal. She enjoys working with her teammates and coach Aaron Rodgers, who she feels is approachable and easy to talk to.
Rodgers loves working with Giannou and sees what she adds to the team. He recognizes her talent, but he believes her character makes Giannou stand out.
“Konstantina is a wonderful human,” Rodgers said. “We obviously want great soccer players, but we want great people. Great people build great cultures. Konstantina has that.”
Giannou is in her junior year, and has put a lot of thought into her life after college. She is majoring in sports management, but wants to eventually coach and open a path for Greek players like her who are looking for more experience and challenging play in America.
“I would probably stay a few years just to work and get some experience,” Giannou said. “But in the future, I would like to go back home. I want to try to help people back in Greece grow as athletes and people.”
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