DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Former Embry-Riddle standout Sophie Brundin will continue her soccer career in the professional ranks. The Sundsvall, Sweden native announced that she has signed a contract to play for U.S. Sassuolo in Italy's Serie A Femminile, the highest level competition for women in Italian soccer.
 
With the help of ERAU Head Women's Soccer Coach Samantha Bohon, Brundin made contact with an agent this past spring. She submitted a highlight video along with her collegiate playing resume and waited.
 
"I got the offer from Sassuolo on Friday, August 7, and I said yes that night!" Brundin said. 
 
Following her acceptance of the offer, things moved rather rapidly and on Monday, August 10, she was on a plane to Italy. She was not allowed to practice with the team right away, so she spent her first week in Sassuolo in private training sessions with the coaching staff. She was finally able to join her new team on the field this past Monday.
 
The U.S. Sassuolo play their first league game on Sunday when they take on Roma, who finished just ahead of Sassuolo in the 2019-20 season.
 
"The players here are very talented and have welcomed me with open arms," Brundin said. "To play professional soccer has been a dream since I was a kid. I'm very excited for this opportunity to be amongst great players in a new country."
 
"Ever since I met Sophie during the recruiting process, she's communicated a strong desire to play professionally," Bohon said. "During her four years here, she demonstrated an elite attention to detail to improve on all facets of performance.  She's an incredible talent that will undoubtedly do everything she can to make the most of this opportunity. We are very proud of Sophie!"
 
Brundin enjoyed one the most successful senior campaigns in ERAU Women's Soccer history in the fall of 2019. She racked up several accolades for her performance on the field, including Sunshine State Conference Defensive Player of the Year, D2CCA third team All-American and United Soccer Coaches Association second team All-Region honoree. She was also a first team All-SSC honoree and was named to the SSC All-Tournament team.
 
She started in all 20 games this season and ranked third on the team in minutes played (1,807). In addition to playing an integral role in ERAU's eight shutouts on the year, Brundin also contributed to the offense, tallying five goals, including both scores in ERAU's regional tournament win over Rollins (Nov. 22), and an assist for 11 total points in 2019. 
 
A four-time SSC Commissioner's Honor Roll honoree, Brundin was selected as the Outstanding Undergraduate Student of the Year by the Department of Mechanical Engineering and graduated with a 3.943 GPA in Biomechanical Engineering.