Somewhere far away from here, on a city street in Santiago, Chile, a young girl walks with a field hockey stick, thinking about the sport she loves, and her future in it. In all likelihood, she doesn't see leaving the Santiago streets as part of that future.
Little does she know, some 5,000 miles away, three of her countrywomen are living their dream, playing the sport they love on a top-five, undefeated team, while getting an education at an outstanding university.
AU field hockey's own Camila and Denise Infante, and Javiera Villagra hail from Chile, and have taken their native connection here to American University to lead the Eagles to field hockey supremacy.
"We've always been an athletic family, and our father worked in the U.S., so we looked for a university where we could play field hockey and Steve [American coach Jennings] gave us that chance," said Camila, a junior midfielder.
The Chilean Connection has become the core of the Eagles. With Denise Infante serving as one of the starting defenders, Camila Infante is the team's most productive midfielder. With the senior Villagra teaming with Camila in the middle, the Chileans have two distinct advantages over the opposition. 1: they hardly have to communicate to know what the other is doing. And 2: when they do have to, it's in a language many opponents can't understand.
"It helps for me to be able to communicate with them on the field because I know their games so well and they can understand me in Spanish," said Denise.
The Infante partnership began long before AU was an established field hockey mecca. They grew up playing on the same club team in Chile and have played so much together that they simply know where the other will be at any time. While they hadn't played with Villagra before coming to AU, the trio has certainly meshed well with her.
"Having Javi in the midfield is great because we work really well together and all of the midfielders have good teamwork and help the team," said Camila, who leads the team with 10 goals, 11 assists, and 31 points.
Those totals become more astounding when you consider that her and Denise missed four games this season to return to Santiago to play for the host Chilean national team in the Youth World Cup of Field Hockey.
Playing eight games in 10 days, the Chilean team placed 10th in the world, a satisfying finish for the sisters, who kept close tabs on what the Eagles were doing, and were happy to come back to a still-undefeated team.
"We played really well and it felt good to play for our country at home, in front of big crowds," said Camila Infante. "We really won the games we had to and we were happy that the girls here kept us playing well."
While leaving was tough, the attraction of another opportunity to play in the World Cup was too much for the sisters to resist. That, combined with the confidence they had in their teammates, made the decision a no-brainer and one that has had huge rewards for them and the Eagles.
"It was one of the best experiences of my life, playing at home in front of the Chilean fans," Denise said. "And we knew how good our team is. They don't need two players to win games."
Camila added, "I played in the World Cup in 2001 and I thought that was my only opportunity, but I knew the coach this year and he gave us the opportunity to come down and play."
Upon returning, the Infantes have reasserted their dominance in the middle of the Eagles attack, boosting the prospects of a run to the Final Four. The biggest obstacle to that may come this week, when they host No. 3 Maryland on Wednesday in the Terps' regular season finale.
And who will they look across the line and see? Their sister, Paula Infante, a midfielder for the Terrapins.
"It's kind of strange playing against her, but we've all played so much that we understand the game and it's just a part of it," Denise said.
The Infante parents will be on hand to watch their triumvirate of daughters, of whom one or more could be the difference makers in a national-championship run.
"It's funny," Camila said. "They sit right in the middle and cheer for all their daughters, not for either team."
Whatever Mr. and Mrs. Infante are thinking Wednesday, there's no doubt what will be on the mind of Camila, Denise, and Javiera: taking one more step towards bringing a national championship to AU.
And, if they do, there might just be headlines all over Santiago about the Chilean Connection which has taken over another nation's capital.
