Teyah Lindo to play for Bermuda National Team

Teyah Lindo has been working hard to get into soccer shape as she prepares for a busy couple of weeks.

The Eastern Florida State College freshman midfielder will play in the season opener Aug. 24 against No. 3 Laramie County Community College and then jump on a plane for Kingston, Jamaica to join the Bermuda women's national team.

"It's actually an honor to do this because not many players even get to make it to a trial to play for their country, it is actually a blessing," Lindo said.

Lindo will help lead Bermuda in the Caribbean qualifying for the 2018 CONCACAF Women's Championship. The Caribbean qualifying round has five teams with three advancing to the world championship tournament which will be held in the United States in October.

"We are going to defend as a team and play for each other and not ourselves and stick it out for 90 minutes and see what happens," Lindo said. "I believe we will do well in this next round."

Lindo and Bermuda will open the qualifying Aug. 27 against former Titan Bunny Shaw and Jamaica. Shaw, who is a senior for the University of Tennessee, helped the Titans to the national championship semifinals in 2016.

Lindo and the Titans have been preparing for the new season and the freshman believes the hard work in camp will help in Jamaica.

"For one, I know that I am in way better shape than I was for our first group stage, so that will help. I will be able to last the 90 and give 100 percent the entire 90 minutes," Lindo said. "I will also be able to take back some things that I have learned here, like playing faster. Every team wants to play fast but we have just been focusing on that so much that I have it down now. That will help too."

Bermuda, who advanced by winning the Guyana region, will also play Cuba, Antigua & Barbados and Trinidad & Tobago in the nine-day tournament.

"I love to represent my country," Lindo said. "It has been my dream to make it as high as I can in the futbol industry so I will keep striving and do what I have to do to make that come true."

After the tournament, Lindo will return to Eastern Florida State College and help the Titans try to make the NJCAA Division I National Championship Tournament for the seventh straight season.

"It has been an intense camp and I feel that will be beneficial in the long run for all of us," Lindo said. "You get what you give so if you dig deep, work hard and keep up the good work, it will pay off."

And just maybe a couple of championships.