Barnwell makes long journey away from home
Doha, the capital city of Qatar, is the hometown of the St. Bonaventure women’s soccer midfielder, Tsianna Barnwell. Barnwell took an 18-hour flight to Buffalo Niagara International Airport, to start a new chapter of her academic and athletic career.
While Barnwell admits that the 18 hour distance from home is daunting, she said the transition from her home to St. Bonaventure has gone very well. Although she misses her family dearly, she enjoys the warm embrace that she has received by the St. Bonaventure community.
“I am coming from far away,” Barnwell said. “It’s hard because my family is far away. A lot of the girls get to see their families on gameday, but my teammates’ parents are very welcoming and supportive of me. They’ve done a great job of taking me in. I’ve really enjoyed it [St. Bonaventure] so far.”
Head Coach Steve Brdarski recruited Tsianna mostly through video footage, emails and personal connections he had. He also got the chance to watch her in person at a tournament in Florida, and was blown away by her athleticism and attitude.
“She’s athletic, passionate and a great dribbler,” said Brdarski. “But we found out more about her as a person. Who she was as a person was the right fit for Bonaventure.”
While Barnwell says the transition to college was difficult, she feels all of the traveling has prepared her for college.
“I really feel like it developed me as a person,” said Barnwell. “I got to see so many cultures overseas that it really opened my eyes and made me so accepting of other people.”
Barnwell admits that it was a bit of a shock for her to experience snow for the first time on her recruiting visit last February, but she is fascinated by the wintry weather that this part of the country gets every year.
“I think it’s funny because over here you have snow days,” said Barnwell. “Over there [Qatar] we have dust days. The weather here is very interesting to me.”
This year’s young team, consisting of 10 freshmen, has shown a lot of grit, hard work and passion for not only the game, but for each other. Brdarski is proud of the way his team has fought through adversity so far. Out of the eight games that the team has played this season, seven of them have gone to overtime.
“The fact that our team has never quit this year shows how resilient we are,” Brdarski said.
Barnwell expresses that establishing a positive culture this year could result in future successes. Building a family-like culture is one of the main goals surrounding this year’s team.
“Really getting to know my teammates and creating this family environment is important this year,” Barnwell said. “If we can work together and work for each other, I think we can go to the A10 tournament this season. Coach Brdarski’s main goal is to create that family dynamic.”
Brdarski points out that this years group of freshmen have helped build a quality chemistry.
“The freshmen this year have helped establish a great chemistry this year so far,” said Brdarski.
It is clear that Barnwell is making a positive transition into a new chapter of her life and helping coach Brdarski and the rest of the team establish a family like atmosphere. Barnwell and the St. Bonaventure women’s soccer team will be back in action on Friday, Sept. 14 at the University of Buffalo at 7:00 p.m.
By Sean Mains, Contributing Writer
mainssd18@bonaventure.edu
