Anouk van Asbeck spent the vast majority of her childhood in The Netherlands, and as she grew up, she saw some of her family friends going to the United States to play college field hockey.
The Maryland field hockey midfielder was envious.
“They told me about the field hockey and how it’s getting bigger,” van Asbeck said, “and I was like ‘Cool, I wanna do that.'”
She joined the No. 8 Terps this summer and has adapted well on the field while continuing to get used to a new lifestyle.
Van Asbeck was born in Greenwich, Connecticut and lived in Rye, New York for the first three years of her life. When she speaks about the U.S., she refers to it as “my country.”
“I don’t really remember [America],” van Asbeck said, “but there’s a lot of pictures.”
Both of van Asbeck’s parents played field hockey, and her father had experience with the Dutch national team at all levels of international play, including the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics.
They passed the sport along to their daughter.
“I mean, they start when they can walk,” coach Missy Meharg said.
While that experience has showed — van Asbeck has played in all 10 of the team’s games and started in half of them — the freshman has had to adjust to studying and playing at the same school.
In the Netherlands, van Asbeck said there are only club teams.
“You get back from school on your bike and get some food, and you bike to the club,” van Asbeck said. “We practice for an hour and a half, and then we just got on our bikes and got back.”
As she grew up, van Asbeck realized she wanted to play in America. College coaches are used to recruiting international players, but players still sometimes have to take the initiative to get notice.
Van Asbeck signed up with an organization called UStudy, which helps European students and athletes get into American universities. About halfway through her junior year, they sent out a highlight tape to some schools, jumpstarting the recruitment process that eventually landed her with the Terps.
Helping her acclimate to all the changes were a trio of Terps with close ties to the Netherlands. Midfielder Lein Holsboer and forward Sophie Pelzer are both Dutch, and associate head coach Joppe de Vries spent more than a decade teaching and coaching in the country.
“Talking to them is feeling a little bit as if you’re home,” van Asbeck said. “That’s really nice to have if you’re having any hard times.”
Van Asbeck also knows Dutch field hockey players at other universities, including California and St. Joseph’s, both of which Maryland beat earlier in the season. Her parents have already made some visits to College Park this season as well.
Those reminders of home helped van Asbeck become more comfortable with the team and with her English, which she initially struggled with.
Her teammates have noticed her improvement.
“She’s come out of her shell … she’s not afraid to voice her opinion,” midfielder Brooke Adler said. “She’s becoming a big strong presence with her position in the backfield.”
Off the field, the team describes van Asbeck as laid-back, a personality that fits well with the Terps. Perhaps it’s no surprise that a girl who always felt a strong connection to the country she was born in found her place so quickly.
“She’s happy. She really laughs a lot,” Meharg said. “The older girls adore her because she’s very cool, to the younger women she’s a good friend and to the coaching staff she’s excellent. … She fits in with everybody.”
