Van Zanten buoyed by int’l debut
Published:Sunday | February 20, 2022 | 12:06 AMDaniel Wheeler - Staff Reporter
FOUR MONTHS ago Kalyssa Van Zanten hoped her first national senior call-up would be the catalyst for a role in Jamaica’s 2023 Women’s World Cup qualifying bid. On Thursday against Bermuda, she got her wish with an international debut she said went as well as she had imagined.
The Reggae Girlz dispatched Bermuda 4-0 in their World Cup qualifying opener at the National Stadium, thanks to goals from Jody Brown, Trudi Carter and Khadija Shaw, who scored a brace in the second half.
Van Zanten, who plays for the University of Notre Dame, got her first call-up in October for the friendly against Costa Rica but did not feature in the game. Head coach Vin Blaine elected to give the 20-year-old forward her first cap, with a 64th-minute entrance, punctuated by the impetus she added in helping the Reggae Girlz keep the attacking pressure they were putting Bermuda under.
Van Zanten’s connection to Jamaica is through her mother, who left the island at 16 years old for the United States where she would join the military. Van Zanten said her debut was made special as her mom flew out to watch her play at the National Stadium. “She was in the stands and was super excited to come back and be here, see her old high school. My uncle lives here still. They all made it out to the game so it was a really good experience. I am super proud to be here, super excited for my family. I know my mom is very happy to be here (and to see me) represent the country that she loves,” Van Zanten said.
Blaine’s aim was to add some dynamism to the attack and Van Zanten obliged, providing another threat in the offensive third.
‘TRIED TO DO MY BEST’
“I just wanted to keep the pace and enhance the level and just try to create chances for the team. I felt like I just came in and tried to do my job as best as I could,” Van Zanten said.
“He [Blaine] said just try to keep the ball on the offence. We wanted to shift our possession from the defence into their defensive end so we could create more chances and create goal-scoring opportunities.”
With the experience of an international debut in front of her family and the wider Jamaican public behind her, she is excited for the start of her international journey with Jamaica as she continues to adjust to the demands of the international game.
“With the university level there is a ton of substitutions, a lot of change, the pace is kinda all over the place. This is a super calm (environment), everyone is very technical, very fast-paced. It’s just a different team environment that I’m really excited to be in,” Van Zanten said.
“I just hope to improve and I hope to represent the flag proudly.”
Jamaica will face Grenada in their second qualifying game at the Kirani James National Stadium this afternoon at 4:00.