A former University of Maine Fort Kent soccer player will be on the International Stage next month. Kimika Forbes will be the starting goaltender for Trinidad and Tobago when they attempt to qualify for the 2015 World Cup in Canada. Rene Cloukey has the story.
Kimika Forbes who helped lead the UMFK Bengals to a National Championship last year will now try to help guide Trinidad and Tobago to the 2015 World Cup.
Forbes:” Everyone is on the same page. We have a chemistry going and everyone is so excited. This is the first time our team has been excited about a competition. Normally we are going through the motions but now everyone sees we have a good chance to advance, but we are not underestimating any of the other teams in the group but we are working on our game plan and working one game at a time.”
Forbes was named the Outstanding goalie of the Caribbean Cup Championship. Trinidad and Tobago didn’t give up a goal in the tournament outscoring their opponents 20-0.
Forbes:” I know the team is coming together and saying you know what we got to do something for ourselves. This is going to change all lives. It’s not about nobody else it’s about us going on the field and giving our all 100 percent.”
Qualifying for the World Cup won’t be easy. Trinidad and Tobago are in the same pool with the United States. Forbes first game will be against the US on October 15th in Kansas City
Forbes:” We are going to take one game at a time. Even if we don’t come out on top or get a point in the US game we know we got our next focus is the second game and that is Haiti. It’s going to be a test for us. We played those two teams before and we got great results against those two teams, but it’s still when we played them before it is going to be a different team and a different game.”
Forbes continues to attend classes at UMFK in pursuit of her degree. She gives a lot of credit to her soccer coach Lucas Levesque and Athletic Director Bill Ashby for all their support and guidance.
Forbes:” I came to Coach Ashby even before I went to my teachers and said Coach can you help me talk to these teachers. This is a big opportunity for me and I have been really working hard. It’s the best chance of our lives and it is going to be a turning point for us. They have been big inspiration to me being here and moving on.”
Haiti and Guatemala are also in the bracket. The top two teams in each bracket will then meet for three spots in the World Cup. Forbes would love to help put Trinidad and Tobago and the University of Maine Fort Kent on the World map with a strong performance.