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BY MICHAEL OLOHAN
OF PASCACK PRESS
Montvale, New Jersey—While Russia hosted the World Cup in 2018 commanding worldwide attention, a 13-year-old female soccer player from River Vale also played host to a friendly local version of an international soccer match-up on June 18 at Fieldstone School in Montvale.
Though the game drew little public notice, it was an opportunity for 13-year-old Julia Conjour—a student at Holdrum Middle School—to get reacquainted with her former Swedish teammates of Enebyberg Football Club of Stockholm, Sweden, who were over visiting the United States.
Julia played soccer—better known as football in Europe—for three years after her family moved to Sweden several years back when her father’s job was transferred there. Her father works for an international shipping company.
The family was able to keep their house in River Vale during the period.
In order not to play favorites, Julia played one-half of the game with her local Arsenal squad and another half with her former Swedish teammates.
In the friendly competition, the Swedish club eked by the American women on Arsenal Firework 2-1. The Arsenal team includes young women from the Pascack Valley and the Rockland County area.
“It was just kind of a cool thing given the international flavor of the competition,” said Robert Sandt, father of 13-year-old Carrie Sandt, a member of Arsenal Firework.
While visiting the United States, 19 girls on the Swedish team and three of their moms stayed in the Conjour’s basement in River Vale. Others accompanying them stayed at a local hotel.
“I wanted to do this (hospitality) because they were so welcoming to Julia as an outsider when we moved there,” said Mona Conjour, her mother.
With the backdrop of international soccer’s most coveted championship ongoing, the two teams played a memorable, hard-fought match, said Sandt.
He said the Swedish team held fundraisers to get funding to travel to and visit the United States.
“It was hard to play against them because I did not want to hurt any of them,” she said.
“I miss my [Swedish] teammates but I’m happy to be back in America,” said Julia, who was tutored in Swedish for three years while living there.
Photos courtesy Robert Sandt