Staten Island, NY – Sophomore forward Caitlin Filja of the Wagner women's soccer team will have the opportunity to represent her home country of Albania as they will gear up for the upcoming World Cup Qualifiers.
The Wood-Ridge, NJ native becomes the first player in the history of the Seahawks program to receive an invitation to play for her home country at a major international competition.
"It is a tremendous honor to go out and represent my home country of Albania but to represent Wagner on an international level," said Filja. "Due to the pandemic, I wasn't able to go the first time around (October of 2020). I was worried that after plans didn't work out the first time that I wasn't going to get called, but, I was shocked and thrilled to be called up again."
Filja will train with the Women's National Team of Albania as they gear up for two matches on September 16 against Kosovo and September 21 against Belgium.
"Caitlin is embarking on one of the greatest opportunities for any soccer player and for me as a coach, I am so proud of her," commented Wagner fifth-year head coach, Phil Casella. "Having the chance to represent your country for a World Cup berth is a fantastic moment. She becomes the program's first-ever player to represent their full National Team, which is a testament to her dedication to her craft and to this program. As her coach and I know that all her teammates will agree, we are so excited and happy for her and we will be following her adventure."
The second-year forward has appeared in 11 career games for the Seahawks, earning the start seven times. Filja made her collegiate debut back on February 28 at NJIT, where she made her first career start and recorded two shots against the Highlanders.
WagnerAthletics.com caught up with both Filja and Coach Casella following the team's practice.
