WASHINGTON– Although COVID-19 has prevented us from competing this fall, there are still plenty of former Georgetown women's soccer players playing professionally. We caught up with a few of them to see how they are handling their seasons during these uncertain times.
Today we are catching up with one of our more recent graduates,
Paula Germino-Watnick (C'20). During her senior year on the Hilltop, Germino-Watnick was a United Soccer Coaches Third Team All-American and a First Team Scholar All-American, as well named the BIG EAST Midfielder of the Year and a unanimous selection to the league's first team. She also earned a spot on the MAC Hermann Trophy Watch List. Germino-Watnick went to the College Cup twice with the Hoyas and was part of a team that won three-straight BIG EAST Championship titles and back-to-back regular season titles.
Please catch us up, where are you playing these days and how did you end up there? How do you like living there?
Germino-Watnick: I am living and playing in Iceland for Keflavik FC. The coach reached out to
Dave Nolan expressing interest in me and Dave happened to be recruiting in Iceland in January, so he met up with the coaching staff and watched the team play. He said it seemed like a good fit for me. At this point I was deciding whether I wanted to try out for an NWSL team or just sign with a foreign team. I ultimately decided that it was more important to me to play and see a new country.
I really like living in Iceland. The people are super friendly and my club really cares about its players. I have also had the opportunity to travel around Iceland and see some amazing things. The only negative thing about Iceland is that summers are NOT warm. It is usually between 40 and 55 degrees and it rains a lot.
How has it been for you so far, has it been a difficult adjustment? How would you describe the style of soccer compared to playing at Georgetown?
Germino-Watnick: It was definitely difficult at the beginning adjusting to living in a foreign country (especially during a pandemic when I didn't know if my family was going to be able to visit me). I have since got used to living here but having another American here was crucial to my adjustment. She showed me around Iceland and has been super helpful in helping me communicate with coaches and teammates. Playing here has also been an adjustment. My team is good but not as technical as my Georgetown team was, which can be challenging for me. A side note, I am generally not considered a fast player in the U.S., but here I am faster than many defenders. I've had to learn how to take advantage of my "speed".
What effect has the COVID-19 pandemic had on you personally and professionally?
Germino-Watnick: Personally, the pandemic has not had a super negative impact on me. My family has managed to stay healthy (even though my parents as physicians are seeing patients with COVID). It ended up giving me more time in the spring to focus on school, catch up on sleep, and get into shape. I ended up having my best semester academically. it was a little tough not to be able to train with a team before I left to play in Iceland, but I was still training on my own.
Professionally, I was lucky that I was going to Iceland. Iceland is one of the few countries that was able to control the pandemic early on. Therefore, the season has been able to carry on as normal.
Remind us of your favorite moment in your Georgetown playing career.
Germino-Watnick: Our NCAA run in 2018 when we went to the Final Four.
What advice would you give somebody who wants to play professional soccer after college?
Germino-Watnick: Very doable...you just need to decide if you enjoy playing enough to continue. There are professional teams of all levels around the world. If you can get a European passport, it will also open a lot of doors.
Also, it's important that you decide what your end goal is. For me I am going to medical school in a couple years and wanted to use this time to travel and play. Therefore, I chose a team where I knew I would get a lot of playing time in a cool place.
