Former Eagle Oeser completes third season of pro soccer
By ADAM PRUIETT
Northwest Florida Daily News
315-4421 | adamp@nwfdailynews.com
When Brianna Oeser returns to Europe for another professional soccer season, her in-flight reading material might as well be medical books.
The former Niceville High and University of West Florida star has gotten more acquainted with injuries in the last two years playing for Keynsham Town Ladies Football Club than she'd ever imagined.
In her first season with Keynsham Town, a professional team in the English Premier Southern Division, Oeser suffered a tibia fracture less than a week after arriving in England and saw her season severely cut short. Last season, she was one of the few lucky ones, watching as 10 of her teammates missed time due to injuries.
The impairments turned a promising first half of the season for Keynsham Town into a crippling second half. But in the midst of team disappointment, Oeser at least took advantage of personal opportunity and thrived.
She began the season playing right fullback and then moved to outside midfield - a position she despises - for an extended portion of the year. But once Keynsham Town's injuries continued to mount, Oeser blissfully found herself at center midfield.
West Florida's all-time leader in goals (54) and points (116) got to showcase her playmaking ability alongside the team's only other American, Ashley Reincke, who played at Seton Hall. The pair had exceptional chemistry and had fans commenting on how well they played off each other.
"Even though I hated seeing my teammates injured, I loved playing in the middle of the field," Oeser said.
Keynsham Town also managed to salvage its season by winning the Somerset EA County Cup after pulling off a 2-0 victory over Team Bath in the finals. Oeser netted the team's second goal.
"It was kind of a little pick-me-up after such a hard time," Oeser said.
Keynsham Town was truly an international club, containing members from Bosnia, Serbia, Romania and Brazil. Oeser said some of her teammates had a shaky grasp of English, such as a Brazilian player who preferred loud noises to words when calling for the ball, but the merging of all the different styles of play made things fun.
"It's great because everybody brings a different aspect to the game," Oeser said.
Right now, Oeser plans to return to Keynsham Town although the 26 year old expects coaching changes and roster turnover. The team will begin preseason training in July in Northern Ireland.
Oeser's looking forward to her fourth season in the pro ranks after successfully rehabbing from her ankle injury. She noticed she couldn't jump as high and doesn't recover from games near as fast - "I wake up the next morning walking like a grandma" - but her level of play hasn't dropped off.
"Once I was on the field," she said, "I played how I always did."
