When freshman soccer midfielder Merel Van Dongen wakes up in the morning, she begins her day by speaking in Dutch. It’s not because she means to, but because after years of living in the Netherlands it’s just a habit for the Amsterdam native; she can’t help herself.

“I really have to open my eyes and see where I am because I forget I’m in America,” Van Dongen said. “I always tell my roommates when I start speaking Dutch don’t worry about it. Just tell me I’m in America and that I can’t speak Dutch and then I’ll talk in English and translate what I just said.”

Seven time zones and 4542 miles away from home, college life in America has been an interesting adjustment for the 19-year-old freshman standout. Small things, such as the food people eat in the dining halls, astound her. She said she is stunned by why everyone seems to eat bacon and peanut butter with everything.

Van Dongen is also still getting used to the attention college sports receive at Alabama. Back in the Netherlands, sports and college are completely separate entities; athletes play soccer for a club team and then study for work in college. So it amazes her how much attention and interest random students have in the women’s soccer team.

“My friends back home didn’t even know what I was doing on the soccer field, while my friends here are interested and know what is happening with the team,” she said. “People from history class are asking how the games go because they recognize you as an athlete, and they actually keep track and care how you do.”

And for good reason, people are taking notice of Van Dongen and the women’s soccer team. At 7-3-2, the Crimson Tide is off to one of the best starts in school history. The Tide is coming off of a weekend when the team came back from a two goal deficit to tie Vanderbilt and followed that up by upsetting Kentucky in Lexington, a team they lost to 4-1 last year in Tuscaloosa. Van Dongen has been a major part of the team’s success, at times arguably the best player on the field for Alabama.

“She brings so much heart on the field,” sophomore teammate Theresa Diederich said. “She is always working so hard, screaming everything and always trying to get everyone fired up. Her playing in the center of the field is a huge part for us because she brings so much motivation and energy that really helps us out.”

Looking into her athletic background, it’s no surprise she has been so successful this year. Along with being the captain for the women’s U-19 Dutch national soccer team, she was also a skilled point guard that was offered the chance to play for the Dutch national basketball team along with soccer, a decision that she said was one of the hardest she has ever had to make.

She also has a strong athletic family pedigree, as both her older sister and twin sister play for Dutch national teams. Her older sister played for the national basketball team and currently plays for the national rugby team, and her twin sister played for the U-18 national basketball team. Van Dongen always loved playing with her sisters.

“We’ve always been really competitive and we always will be,” she said. “It’s probably a good idea we chose other sports because if we were each other’s competition and had to compete, it could have been really bad for our relationships.”

Van Dongen still has a long way to go in her soccer career at Alabama; one she hopes will one day help kick start her international soccer career. But until then, she will continue to be a key player for the women’s soccer team.