Growing up just outside Copenhagen, Denmark, soccer has always felt like family for the University of Rhode Island fifth-year forward Mie Carstensen.
Her parents drove her to practices, as her father set up a net in the backyard and would later start a girls team so more of her friends could play. By age six, she was already playing with the boys in her class.
Denmark, with a population of just over 5.5 million people, may be small, but soccer looms large. Carstensen advanced quickly, eventually earning a spot in Denmark’s academy system and playing for FC Nordsjælland, a professional club. Carstensen also received the opportunity to represent her country at the U-15 and U-16 national team levels.
But combining soccer with school proved difficult for Carstensen. Playing professionally at home left little room for studies. So when the opportunity arose to pursue both athletics and academics in the United States, she made the leap after finishing high school.
Carstensen’s college career began at the University of Memphis in 2022. Injuries, though, quickly altered her path. After coming into her college career injured, she suffered two ACL tears and a chondral defect (damage to the articular cartilage) within her first two years at Memphis.
“Every doctor was telling me I shouldn’t be playing anymore,” Carstensen said. “But I wasn’t going to listen. I just focused on how my body felt.”
After two seasons, she decided she needed a change both on the field and off. She transferred to URI, where she found a playing style, coaching staff and team culture that matched her goals.
Rhode Island was a subtle reminder of home for Carstensen, which caused her to gravitate toward URI. She said that coastal towns and beaches echo Denmark’s seaside landscape, while nearby cities like Providence and Boston offer the kind of energy she missed in Tennessee.
“The team here feels like a family,” Carstensen said. “We are really close on the team. Here, it reminds me of Copenhagen, and the girls welcomed me right away.”
So far, Carstensen has played in all seven games this season and scored three goals for the Rams with hopes of being able to reach the Atlantic 10 Conference Tournament after falling just short last year.
“I want people to know I came back from injuries and still stepped on the field like nothing happened,” Carstensen said. “I want to help this team succeed, and I really hope we can win the A-10s this year.”
As a business marketing major working toward her MBA, she is considering life beyond college soccer. But she isn’t ready to step away from the game just yet.
“I want to play pro when I’m done,” Carstensen said. “I don’t know if it will be in Europe or here, but that’s always been the dream.”
Carstensen talked about soaking in Rhode Island life — the beaches, the ice cream shops and the friendships she’s built. But whether she’s in Kingston, Copenhagen or somewhere else entirely, Carstensen remains focused on the same goal she’s had since that backyard net went up.
“There’s a reason I’m here,” Carstensen said. “I just have to enjoy it.”
The post From Copenhagen to Rhode Island: Carstensen finds home with Rams first appeared on The Good 5¢ Cigar.
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