Former South Florida Women’s Soccer Standout Eyes Return To U.S For 2003 World Cup

TAMPA, FL - With eight appearances for Norway’s Women’s National Team, her first international goal and Monday’s announcement that the 2003 Women’s World Cup will be relocated to the United States, former University of South Florida women’s soccer standout Kristine Edner (Oslo, Norway) has inched ever-so-close to realizing her dream of a World Cup “Homecoming.”

FIFA announced from world soccer headquarters in Zurich on May 3 that the fourth Women’s World Cup, tentatively scheduled for Sept. 23 through October 11, would be transferred from China to another country because of the current SARS threat in that part of Asia.

Australia, Canada, Italy and Sweden all put in bids to host the event, with the final decision resting between Sweden and the U.S.

“My dream would be to play in the World Cup in the States,” said Edner, USF’s only female athlete ever to represent a national team in international competition.

“And of course (hopefully) also get to visit all of my friends at USF.”

Edner, who spent the 1996-98 seasons carving out her place as USF’s No. 2 career goal-scorer (37), assist-maker (24) and point-getter (98), scored her first international goal in Norway’s 6-0 rout of Belgium, May 11, in the team’s first qualifying match for the 2005 European Championships. She has earned eight “caps,” including six in 2003 and a start, Mar. 18, versus Canada, and now awaits her fate as part of head coach Age Steen’s final world cup roster (the team has already qualified), to be named sometime within a month of the start of the quadrennial tournament.

“No one deserves this honor more than Kristine,” said USF head women’s soccer coach Logan Fleck.

“She is the epitome of what a committed, goal-oriented, hard-working student athlete should be and we are proud of the way she has represented USF.

“I’ve had the honor of coaching more than my share of players to the national-team level, but Kristine is special to me in that I hope this can lead to her playing professionally here in the United States.”


Despite having appeared in just eight contests for Norway, Edner has faced competition the likes of world cup title-contenders China and Germany and teams spanning three continents. In addition to playing at home, she has logged minutes on pitches in Portugal, Spain and China but has never seen international action in the United States.

At 18-16-2, Norway is currently the only country in the world to own a winning record against the host U.S. women. The teams have met twice in world cup play, with the U.S. defeating Norway in the inaugural world cup final match in 1991 and Norway returning the favor in a 1995 semifinal match when it went on to become world champion.

Former Bull Siri Nordby (Oslo, Norway) is also in Norway’s National Team Pool and most recently traveled with the team to China’s Four Nations Tournament in January. Nordby (1997-2000) sits atop the record books as USF’s career-leader in goals (41), assists (28), points (110) and games started (70).

Edner and Nordby are Fleck’s second and third protégés to rise from USF Bull to national team status. Jeff Cunningham (1994-1997, when Fleck coached the USF men from 1994-1996) also achieved that distinction, having now earned eight caps for the U.S. Men’s National Team since 2001.