Finnish winger Sara Kuusimäki is yearning for a bite of her country’s famous rye bread.
Dutch goalkeeper Floor Ursem is jonesing for hagelslag, the chocolate sprinkles that would cover her pancakes if she could find them in Kamloops.
Kiwi winger Hannah Saxon is dreaming of New Zealand mince-and-cheese pies.
Esi Lufo craves a bowl of her mom’s Albanian soup.
The international imports on the TRU WolfPack women’s soccer team are starving for home-cooked meals, but feasting on the Canada West.
“I would say these girls live and breathe the game a little bit differently than some of our domestic kids,” WolfPack head coach Mark Pennington said. “I wouldn’t say all of them, but some of them, for sure.”
The WolfPack were unbeaten as of the Chronicle’s press deadline, with a record of three wins and three draws. The four international imports combined to score four of the team’s five goals in its first six matches.
Saxon, the rookie from Auckland, New Zealand, bagged match-winning markers in two of those tilts. Kuusimäki, from Vantaa, Finland, opened the scoring in 2-1 victory over UBC Okanagan on Sept. 6 in Kelowna, with Lufo adding the winner.
The Aucklander did not report feeling much in the way of culture shock after making the move to Canada this year, but the same cannot be said for sophomore Kuusimäki, who struggled to adapt in her rookie season.
“I feel like sometimes it’s hard to communicate, but I feel better for sure now,” said Kuusimäki, who was named to the Canada West all-rookie team last year despite the acclimation obstacles. “A big part of that is the team and the people around me.”
Lufo, from Tiranë, Albania, is the longest-tenured international, a fourth-year forward who took an interest in Kuusimäki.
“In my first year, it was so hard because it’s a different world, different culture,” said Lufo, who in 2025 became the first WolfPack women’s soccer player to earn U Sports First-Team All-Canadian honours. “It was hard for me, but as time passed, I got used to it and now I love it here. When Sara came, I was trying to help her and make it easier for her, so she wouldn’t feel homesick. I hope I helped her a little bit.”
Ursem toiled for professional club Telstar in Holland before making the move to TRU in time for the 2025 campaign. She said the intensive pro experience helped to prepare her for life away from home and she hit the ground running in Kamloops.
The goalkeeper from Uitgeest, Netherlands, was named to the U Sports and Canada West all-rookie teams last season after posting four shutouts in 13 matches.
Ursem became the program’s all-time leader in shutouts when she posted the eighth clean sheet of her career in a 1-0 triumph over Fraser Valley on Sept. 26 at Hillside Stadium.
It took her 19 games to surpass Danielle Robertson, the former WolfPack goalkeeper who had seven clean sheets in 44 matches.
So, how high is Floor’s ceiling?
“No idea,” she said. “It can be pretty high.”
The same is true for the WolfPack, who are aiming to break the program’s three-year post-season drought, with a hungry crop of internationals leading the way.
“We grew up loving this sport and giving everything for it,” Lufo said. “I think this is the most important part we add to this team — the soul, the good footballers that we are.”