After dominating Southland Conference defenders during two seasons on the Lamar University women’s soccer team, Esther Okoronkwo is now testing her skills on the international level.
Okoronkwo, who set multiple scoring records during her time as a Cardinal, has been called up to the Nigerian national team to play in the WNT Summer Series. She made her debut Thursday night during a 1-0 loss to Jamaica in Houston.
“We are really excited for Esther as she continues her success after Lamar,” Cardinals head coach Steve Holeman said. “What an incredible honor for her to play for her country at the highest level. We are all very proud of her and look forward to watching her on the international stage.”
After transferring from Northeast Texas Community College, Okoronkwo redshirted at Lamar in 2018 before becoming one of the program’s all-time performers at the forward position.
She broke out during the 2019 season, setting school records for goals (25) and points (60) that year while helping lead Lamar to a Southland championship and an NCAA tournament appearance. Her 25 goals also were a single-season Southland record and ranked second in all of Division I.
Okoronkwo followed that up with another stellar season in 2020. She appeared in all 12 of Lamar’s games, scoring 10 goals to go along with six assists. She was named Southland’s Player of the Year and was a United Soccer Coaches All-American.
During her first international action on Thursday night, Okoronkwo came on as a substitute late in the first half.
In the 50th minute, she appeared to score the game’s first goal from the left side of the penalty area with a far-post finish but was correctly ruled offside.
Just seconds after the goal was waved off, Jamaica responded with the game’s only score on a free kick.
Nigeria will play two more games in the WNT Summer Series. The team will play Portugal on Sunday in Houston, followed by a matchup with the United States on June 16 in Austin.
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