SOUTH HADLEY, Mass. (March 30, 2012) – Members of the Mount Holyoke College soccer team recently welcomed a group of traveling Japanese college players to campus for three days worth of intercultural activities. The visit included a friendly exhibition match on Wednesday at the Soccer Field. This was the fifth straight year that players from the Bridge Program have made their way to South Hadley from Japan.
Prior to the match, members of both teams gathered for an intercultural party Sunday night. The Bridge players also toured campus, attended Japanese language classes and and met with the longtime Director of Athletics Laurie Priest to talk about women in sport over the course of the week. Their tour included stops at Hofstra University, Stony Brook University, American International College and the University of Massachusetts.
Mount Holyoke head coach Kanae Haneishi helped create the Bridge Program in her homeland nearly a decade ago.
"In Japan, the sports world is still pretty much dominated by men," she said. "The Bridge Program allows Japanese women to be exposed to the types of facilities and support available to female athletes in the United States."
Haneishi enjoyed a standout collegiate career at Christian Brothers University after leaving Japan in 2001. In her two seasons, the Buccaneers advanced to back-to-back NCAA Division II National Championships due in large part to her outstanding play on the defensive end. She earned Tournament Outstanding Defender honors in 2002 after leading her team to a 2-1 triumph over the University of Nebraska Omaha in the finals.
After graduation, Haneishi played for the New York Magic of the elite United Soccer League from 2003-10. She was also a member of the Japanese National Team that earned a silver medal at the World University Games in 2003. Prior to her arrival in the United States, she competed in the top women's soccer league in Japan.
Photos by Leila Quinn '12
