CONWAY – University of Central Arkansas recent women's soccer graduates Camille Bassett and Kristen Ricks took the next step in their soccer careers and signed with professional clubs in July. Both ladies will be representing UCA in different parts of the world, as Bassett took her talents to Iceland and Ricks signed with a club in France.
 
CAMILLE BASSETT – UMF STJARNAN
 
Bassett's dream of becoming a professional athlete became a reality on July 5 when she signed with UMF Stjarnan in Iceland. UMF Stjarnan competes in the Úrvalsdeild kvenna, the top tier women's football league in Iceland. The professional contract was actually the second of the summer for Bassett as she previously signed with a team in South Korea in May. After over a month of waiting, the South Korean government cancelled the contract due to financial matters and Bassett was finally free for other offers.
 
Bassett joined her new squad after four magnificent years at UCA as a forward and left with four records. She finished tied for first in points with 92, most goals scored with 40, most shots with 236 and most game-winning goals with 13. In three of her four years as a Bear, she scored 10+ goals and recorded 20+ points.
 
"Going toward my senior year, I realized that I wasn't burnt out on soccer like a lot of people are," Bassett said. "I wanted to keep going because soccer is something that I have definitely grown to love throughout the years. I realized that it was possible to do and since I'm still physically able to, I can always just take a break in between my bachelor's and master's and just pursue my dream."
 
UMF Stjarnan was two months into the regular season when Bassett arrived and was 3-5-1 with a four-game losing streak. The team needed desperate help on offense as they were going through a dry spell of zero goals scored in 500 straight minutes, a span that lasted well over a month. The roster was newly constructed from the year before and consisted of just players from Iceland until the team brought in Bassett and a forward from England in July.
 
For a team in dire need of aggressive forwards, Bishop knew that she would be able to contribute.
 
"It's her physical skill set," Bishop said. "She's just a little faster than everyone else. And then it's her ability to take players on and finish opportunities. For three of the four years, she was finishing things at a high clip that made her become a leading goal scorer in UCA history.
 
Beyond that, it's about who she is. She's a competitor, hard worker and great teammate. Those are the things that will allow her to play for as long as she wants to play."
 
Bassett was very thankful for the years she spent at Central Arkansas and emphasized that the coaching staff taught her various life lessons that helped get her to the professional level.
 
"I think going into college, I had experiences with coaches that didn't really care for me as a person and so soccer really felt like a job that would get me through college," Bassett said. "Once I came to UCA, the coaches gave me that love for soccer back and made me realize that it wasn't a job, but something I got to do and enjoy. Within the four years in Conway, I was able to not only focus on my performance but also my mental and emotional states as a player and person.
 
I think having that experience and that value from the coaches, team and environment helped develop my mindset into not being as toxic as it used to be. By the time of senior year, I felt confident enough to tell myself that I could try for the next level."
 
Bassett will finish out the season with UMF Stjarnan that runs until the end of September and then decide what lies next. Stay updated on her journey in Iceland by following @stjarnanfc on Instagram.
 
KRISTEN RICKS – FC METZ
 
Ricks officially became a professional athlete on July 26 when she signed a one-year deal with FC Metz, a French club that has been competing since 1974. The team competes in D1 Féminine, the highest division of women's football in France and best ranked women's league in Europe. Ricks joined a newly-constructed roster comprising women from various countries, including two from America. Through all the change, Ricks is just blessed to be on the roster.
 
"I'm just really proud of myself for being able to get to this high of a level," Ricks said. "It really shows how good the team (UCA) was last year and how much they helped get me to this point because people saw how we were able to compete with everybody.
 
It's special to me because I just never thought that I would be able to get on this high of a level team."
 
Head Coach Jeremy Bishop spent four years coaching Ricks and knew exactly what FC Metz was getting in her.
 
"Every team needs players that are coachable, hardworking and committed to team success, and that is what she will bring to the team," Bishop said. "She has demonstrated these characteristics over and over these past four years.
 
She has an engine and a will that just does not stop. Once she is able to demonstrate that, her new team will know that they have a new member that they can really count on, both on and off the field."
 
Ricks put herself on the map after her 2018 campaign where she was named Southland Conference Defensive Player of the Year. She was also a First-Team All-Southland Selection, named Southland Defensive Player of the Week a conference-high four times and was an All-Midwest selection by the United Soccer Coaches. She led a Bears defense that only allowed 17 goals in 21 games (0.8 per game) and led the SLC in assists with eight. Her durability was on full display throughout the years as she graduated as program leader in career matches played (82) and matches started (81). Looking back, Ricks was thankful for the coaching staff and the ways they pushed her to be the best version of herself.
 
"The way they helped me grow as a person and teammate really helped me have confidence in going pro," Ricks said. "I had some really low points in college that everybody goes through and my coaches were always supportive of me. The coaches did everything they could to help achieve my dream.
 
There's not one negative thing I could say about my experience at UCA."
 
With the regular season set to kick off on August 24, Ricks is just trying to get adjusted to the change of scenery and prepare herself to help her squad that finished lower in the league last year and surrendered a high volume of goals.
 
"The way that France plays is much different than how I played in America, so I'm having to adjust to that and learn how they play," Ricks said. "This league is one of the best leagues in the world. It should be a good way to challenge myself and see if I'm up to the task."

FOLLOW THE BEARS ON SOCIAL MEDIA
 
Twitter: @ucasports | @UCAWomensSoccer
Facebook: University of Central Arkansas Athletics
Instagram: uca_sports