For Pride and For Country: BC's Swaby Heading to World Cup
April 01, 2019 | Women's Soccer, #ForBoston Files
Jamaica's underdogs are going to France this summer.
There are few soccer matches capable of equaling the pressure of a World Cup qualifier. The geographic nature creates a regional drama, and the socioeconomic rivalries play out behind nationalistic pride for players, fans, supporters, governments and citizens of respective countries. The qualifiers are so close to the pinnacle of the sport that they instantly add more intrigue. Simply put, advancing means everything.
There's a case, then, that CONCACAF's Women's World Cup Tournament is one of the most intense sporting events in global football. The zone, which represents North America, Central America and the Caribbean, sends three nations to the World Cup: the two teams from the championship and the winner of the third place play-off. So while the championship crowns a trophy, the loser to the consolation game is left out from the World Cup.
So when Jamaica and Panama traded extra time goals to send 2018's Third Place Game to penalties, two nations' citizens had to watch with collective boulders, not lumps, in their throat. When Dominique Bond-Flasza scored to send Jamaica through, there was an explosion as the living embodiments of "thrill of victory" and "agony of defeat" played out at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas.
The Reggae Girlz caught in the celebration wore the familiar yellow and green of the tiny island nation, but one was someone who once wore maroon and gold. Allyson Swaby, a former defensive back for the Boston College Eagles, was right in the middle of it, having helped Jamaica achieve its dream and qualify for its first-ever World Cup.
"I don't think it still has sunk in yet," Swaby said. "I'm sure it'll hit me when I'm on the plane on the way (to France). But what we did as a group has been really historic. It's something that wasn't done before, and it's really crazy to be something that's happened in my life. It all came out of nowhere. If you'd asked me in October, everything playing out this way, I wouldn't have thought that."
It's the latest achievement for a player who is one of Boston College's most celebrated women's soccer players. The Class of 2018 graduate appeared in 72 games across four seasons for the Eagles, scoring two goals and three assists on nine shots out of the back line. She missed only three games in the ACC over four years in her career as a staple for BC, and she earned the team's co-captaincy during her senior year in 2017, a season in which she played over 1,800 minutes.
Following her senior season, she signed with Fjaroab/Hottur/Leiknir in Iceland's second division. She encountered a near-immediate breakout, scoring five goals in 11 appearances and earning the attention of some of international soccer's biggest brands. In November, she transferred from Iceland to one of those brands, signing with AS Roma in Italy's Serie A.
"It was definitely a difficult transition to Roma," Swaby said. "Their style of play is very textbook. There's rules to their play, and their system is very concrete and tactical. I had never been challenged in that environment like that where tactics are coached and analyzed to this degree. But that only helped me improve as a player. I had to become more tactical against very talented players. I was really hard on myself early on but started to realize that I had some unique athleticism. Roma values my strengths as much as the things that they're teaching me. My coach has been great like that, in reinforcing the challenge to hit the mold while staying true to what makes me special as an athlete."
She's now one of the players comprising a back line in one of the world's most influential and popular divisions. Swaby has eight appearances for Roma with six starts for a total of over 800 minutes. In February, she scored her first Serie A goal in the 16th minute of a match at home against Florentia. It staked Roma to a 1-0 lead en route to a 3-1 win.
All the while, she remained a fixture on the defense for Jamaica, a country with arguably the longest and toughest road to the World Cup. The CONCACAF tournament only had eight slots available, of which three are guaranteed for the United States, Canada and Mexico in the North American Zone. Costa Rica, El Salvador, Nicaragua and Panama play off for two Central American spots, leaving three slots for 23 Caribbean nations.
Jamaica, therefore, had to advance out of its group in the Caribbean Zone, then advance again through the Final Round grouping of five nations to simply qualify for the CONCACAF Women's Championship. Then it needed to advance out of its group, win a knockout round playoff game, then either advance to the championship round or win the third place game in order to make the World Cup.
All of this needed to happen in a zone where Jamaica was unranked in the world FIFA rankings, playing in a confederation against the United States (No. 1 in the FIFA rankings), Canada (No. 4), Mexico (No. 25) Costa Rica (No. 32) and Trinidad and Tobago (No. 48). To call the odds long would have been an understatement.
But something happened when Jamaica hosted the Final Round of the Caribbean Zone Playoff. The Reggae Girlz won their first two games, then rallied after conceding the first goal against Trinidad and Tobago to win, 4-1. Two days later, they beat Cuba, 4-1, to win the group outright with a +21 goal differential.
The victory pushed Jamaica to the second spot in "Pot C" of the CONCACAF draw, which meant it avoided a group with both the United States and Mexico. A game against Canada would be a tall order, but after a 2-0 defeat, the club realized something special could happen against Costa Rica.
"We had hoped for a really good draw," Swaby said. "When we got the draw, we felt we could work with it. We played Canada, and after that loss, we looked at the big picture and put it behind us. We had already faced Cuba (in the Caribbean Zone), but we didn't know about our goal differential. So we assumed we would have to lay as many goals as possible to be okay with tying Costa Rica. But then we beat Costa Rica, and it became the biggest points of the tournament."
The 1-0 win over Costa Rica clinched Jamaica to the knockout playoff against whichever team won Group A, and after an undefeated run where it posted an 18-0 cumulative shutout, it meant a match against the United States against the American squad. For Swaby, that meant a match against the country where she was born, grew up and ultimately played college soccer.
"I had faced a couple of the United States players while I was at Boston College," Swaby said. "You look across the field, see some familiar faces, and it makes you believe you can stick with them. Then you see Alex Morgan and go, 'oh man I never saw this coming.' But as a player, that's the biggest dream and goal you can have. It wasn't weird; I have patriotism for being both American and Jamaican, but I was there to represent Jamaica. That's all I could think about. We wanted to represent Jamaica to the best of our abilities."
The Americans hung a 6-0 defeat on Jamaica, relegating it to that Third Place Game. The original thought and prediction meant that Mexico would await, but Panama earned a 2-0 upset on the last day of group play to eliminate one of the world's best nations. It turned into a critical break for Jamaica after Canada beat Panama, 7-0, in the semifinals, and it set up an instant classic.
After breaking out to a 1-0 lead early, Panama scored in the 74th minute to send the match to extra time. Jamaica scored there in the 95th minute, but Panama responded in the 115th. It sent World Cup qualification to penalty kicks, where the aforementioned strike won for Jamaica, 4-2. It advanced Jamaica to this summer's matches in France for the first time for women and just second time overall.
In 1998, when the men qualified for their only time, it was also held in France. This time, it's the women's turn to shine, though the team will once again face long odds. It was drawn into Group C against Australia and Brazil, two nations ranked inside the Top Ten in the world. Rounding out the group is, ironically enough, Italy, where Swaby will face off with several of her teammates from Roma.
"The (style of play) is the opposite (of Italy) when I play with Jamaica," Swaby said. "We try to dominate areas of the field with physicality, strength and size. Going between the two places forces me to check into different mindsets, but it always keeps me on my toes. It just makes me think of the game in so many different ways. In men's soccer, you see different styles (based on country). It fully exists in women's as well, and I respect it so much after going through it."
The World Cup is the home of some of the most intense and passionate nationalistic pride. It's a place where athletes step on a pitch, wearing their nation's home colors, holding the hopes and dreams of every citizen. Every country is comprised of people with different values, religions, races and creeds. Everyone believes something different. The World Cup blurs those lines and unites citizens behind a flag, and it's one of the most celebrated events in all of sports.
Boston College's Allyson Swaby will be a part of that in 2019. She will compete as part of Jamaica's national team, celebrating her heritage side-by-side with her sister, Chantelle, who is also a defender for the team. She will don the yellow and green, and she will listen to the national anthem. Then it's down to business, against the best in the world.
"Going to the World Cup with my sister will be so unique," she said. "We haven't played together since I was 17, so it had been a while since we were on the same squad. My dad told me that nobody could ever know what it's like to watch us wear those jerseys. It means to much to them, to my grandparents. Everyone in my family, everyone who knows my family will beam with pride that they know a Reggae Girl.
"I'll probably black out and not remember any of it," she said of the World Cup with a laugh. "In the moment, it'll feel really cool. I know I'll be proud and have the excitement of sharing the field with the best players in the world. It's everything I've ever dreamed of. I couldn't ask for more. To be able to be on that field, with my sister and my teammates, doing it for our country of Jamaica, it's going to be indescribable."
Â
There's a case, then, that CONCACAF's Women's World Cup Tournament is one of the most intense sporting events in global football. The zone, which represents North America, Central America and the Caribbean, sends three nations to the World Cup: the two teams from the championship and the winner of the third place play-off. So while the championship crowns a trophy, the loser to the consolation game is left out from the World Cup.
So when Jamaica and Panama traded extra time goals to send 2018's Third Place Game to penalties, two nations' citizens had to watch with collective boulders, not lumps, in their throat. When Dominique Bond-Flasza scored to send Jamaica through, there was an explosion as the living embodiments of "thrill of victory" and "agony of defeat" played out at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas.
The Reggae Girlz caught in the celebration wore the familiar yellow and green of the tiny island nation, but one was someone who once wore maroon and gold. Allyson Swaby, a former defensive back for the Boston College Eagles, was right in the middle of it, having helped Jamaica achieve its dream and qualify for its first-ever World Cup.
"I don't think it still has sunk in yet," Swaby said. "I'm sure it'll hit me when I'm on the plane on the way (to France). But what we did as a group has been really historic. It's something that wasn't done before, and it's really crazy to be something that's happened in my life. It all came out of nowhere. If you'd asked me in October, everything playing out this way, I wouldn't have thought that."
It's the latest achievement for a player who is one of Boston College's most celebrated women's soccer players. The Class of 2018 graduate appeared in 72 games across four seasons for the Eagles, scoring two goals and three assists on nine shots out of the back line. She missed only three games in the ACC over four years in her career as a staple for BC, and she earned the team's co-captaincy during her senior year in 2017, a season in which she played over 1,800 minutes.
Following her senior season, she signed with Fjaroab/Hottur/Leiknir in Iceland's second division. She encountered a near-immediate breakout, scoring five goals in 11 appearances and earning the attention of some of international soccer's biggest brands. In November, she transferred from Iceland to one of those brands, signing with AS Roma in Italy's Serie A.
"It was definitely a difficult transition to Roma," Swaby said. "Their style of play is very textbook. There's rules to their play, and their system is very concrete and tactical. I had never been challenged in that environment like that where tactics are coached and analyzed to this degree. But that only helped me improve as a player. I had to become more tactical against very talented players. I was really hard on myself early on but started to realize that I had some unique athleticism. Roma values my strengths as much as the things that they're teaching me. My coach has been great like that, in reinforcing the challenge to hit the mold while staying true to what makes me special as an athlete."
She's now one of the players comprising a back line in one of the world's most influential and popular divisions. Swaby has eight appearances for Roma with six starts for a total of over 800 minutes. In February, she scored her first Serie A goal in the 16th minute of a match at home against Florentia. It staked Roma to a 1-0 lead en route to a 3-1 win.
All the while, she remained a fixture on the defense for Jamaica, a country with arguably the longest and toughest road to the World Cup. The CONCACAF tournament only had eight slots available, of which three are guaranteed for the United States, Canada and Mexico in the North American Zone. Costa Rica, El Salvador, Nicaragua and Panama play off for two Central American spots, leaving three slots for 23 Caribbean nations.
Jamaica, therefore, had to advance out of its group in the Caribbean Zone, then advance again through the Final Round grouping of five nations to simply qualify for the CONCACAF Women's Championship. Then it needed to advance out of its group, win a knockout round playoff game, then either advance to the championship round or win the third place game in order to make the World Cup.
All of this needed to happen in a zone where Jamaica was unranked in the world FIFA rankings, playing in a confederation against the United States (No. 1 in the FIFA rankings), Canada (No. 4), Mexico (No. 25) Costa Rica (No. 32) and Trinidad and Tobago (No. 48). To call the odds long would have been an understatement.
But something happened when Jamaica hosted the Final Round of the Caribbean Zone Playoff. The Reggae Girlz won their first two games, then rallied after conceding the first goal against Trinidad and Tobago to win, 4-1. Two days later, they beat Cuba, 4-1, to win the group outright with a +21 goal differential.
The victory pushed Jamaica to the second spot in "Pot C" of the CONCACAF draw, which meant it avoided a group with both the United States and Mexico. A game against Canada would be a tall order, but after a 2-0 defeat, the club realized something special could happen against Costa Rica.
"We had hoped for a really good draw," Swaby said. "When we got the draw, we felt we could work with it. We played Canada, and after that loss, we looked at the big picture and put it behind us. We had already faced Cuba (in the Caribbean Zone), but we didn't know about our goal differential. So we assumed we would have to lay as many goals as possible to be okay with tying Costa Rica. But then we beat Costa Rica, and it became the biggest points of the tournament."
The 1-0 win over Costa Rica clinched Jamaica to the knockout playoff against whichever team won Group A, and after an undefeated run where it posted an 18-0 cumulative shutout, it meant a match against the United States against the American squad. For Swaby, that meant a match against the country where she was born, grew up and ultimately played college soccer.
"I had faced a couple of the United States players while I was at Boston College," Swaby said. "You look across the field, see some familiar faces, and it makes you believe you can stick with them. Then you see Alex Morgan and go, 'oh man I never saw this coming.' But as a player, that's the biggest dream and goal you can have. It wasn't weird; I have patriotism for being both American and Jamaican, but I was there to represent Jamaica. That's all I could think about. We wanted to represent Jamaica to the best of our abilities."
The Americans hung a 6-0 defeat on Jamaica, relegating it to that Third Place Game. The original thought and prediction meant that Mexico would await, but Panama earned a 2-0 upset on the last day of group play to eliminate one of the world's best nations. It turned into a critical break for Jamaica after Canada beat Panama, 7-0, in the semifinals, and it set up an instant classic.
After breaking out to a 1-0 lead early, Panama scored in the 74th minute to send the match to extra time. Jamaica scored there in the 95th minute, but Panama responded in the 115th. It sent World Cup qualification to penalty kicks, where the aforementioned strike won for Jamaica, 4-2. It advanced Jamaica to this summer's matches in France for the first time for women and just second time overall.
In 1998, when the men qualified for their only time, it was also held in France. This time, it's the women's turn to shine, though the team will once again face long odds. It was drawn into Group C against Australia and Brazil, two nations ranked inside the Top Ten in the world. Rounding out the group is, ironically enough, Italy, where Swaby will face off with several of her teammates from Roma.
"The (style of play) is the opposite (of Italy) when I play with Jamaica," Swaby said. "We try to dominate areas of the field with physicality, strength and size. Going between the two places forces me to check into different mindsets, but it always keeps me on my toes. It just makes me think of the game in so many different ways. In men's soccer, you see different styles (based on country). It fully exists in women's as well, and I respect it so much after going through it."
The World Cup is the home of some of the most intense and passionate nationalistic pride. It's a place where athletes step on a pitch, wearing their nation's home colors, holding the hopes and dreams of every citizen. Every country is comprised of people with different values, religions, races and creeds. Everyone believes something different. The World Cup blurs those lines and unites citizens behind a flag, and it's one of the most celebrated events in all of sports.
Boston College's Allyson Swaby will be a part of that in 2019. She will compete as part of Jamaica's national team, celebrating her heritage side-by-side with her sister, Chantelle, who is also a defender for the team. She will don the yellow and green, and she will listen to the national anthem. Then it's down to business, against the best in the world.
"Going to the World Cup with my sister will be so unique," she said. "We haven't played together since I was 17, so it had been a while since we were on the same squad. My dad told me that nobody could ever know what it's like to watch us wear those jerseys. It means to much to them, to my grandparents. Everyone in my family, everyone who knows my family will beam with pride that they know a Reggae Girl.
"I'll probably black out and not remember any of it," she said of the World Cup with a laugh. "In the moment, it'll feel really cool. I know I'll be proud and have the excitement of sharing the field with the best players in the world. It's everything I've ever dreamed of. I couldn't ask for more. To be able to be on that field, with my sister and my teammates, doing it for our country of Jamaica, it's going to be indescribable."
Â
Patrick and Ella Might Run the Marathon? | The Podcast For Boston: BC Cross Country/Track and Field
Wednesday, September 17
Football: Owen McGowan Postgame Press Conference (Sept. 14, 2025)
Sunday, September 14
Football: Reed Harris Postgame Media (Sept. 14, 2025)
Sunday, September 14
Football Availability - Coach O'Brien Media Availability
Sunday, September 14
