BILLINGS — Down the stretch of a strong season, Billings West's soccer girls are enjoying an unexpectedly pleasant surprise.
“We didn’t really know we were getting an exchange student and all four years Rob (Zimmerman) has been like, ‘Oh, we’re getting an exchange student, we’re getting an exchange student," defender Grace Curnow recalled to MTN Sports during a recent practice.
"We were like, ‘Whatever, no we’re not,’ we thought it was a joke and then she showed up."
“She” is the Netherlands Sienna Shew-Atjon. Teammates, who call her Shenn, knew quickly she would be a good fit for the Bears.
“She got here her first day, long flight and jet-lagged and just meeting everybody was a new experience. (She) hadn’t played with any of these girls and she came out and stood out right away,” Zimmerman said.
It turns out Shenn has a strong soccer background. Her father played professionally, and her Netherlands club team fields players up to age 26, meaning Shenn has grown up holding her own — even at 5 feet 4 inches.
“In the Netherlands it’s more physical, and I see that if you play physical here that the ref will whistle faster,” Shew-Atjon said with a smile.
Curnow smiled recalling one specific instance this season.
“She got a yellow card and was like, ‘that would never be a yellow card in Netherlands.’ So, she wasn’t very happy ... but it’s okay,” Curnow said.
“She’s tough. I mean she can shoulder you off the ball, be physical if she needs to, but she also has the finesse part of the game that’s fun to watch,” Zimmerman said.
Arriving in the U.S., Shenn said she was both excited and nervous having never been away from family for more than two weeks. Still, instead of staying for only a semester, Shenn had reasons for committing to the full school year at West.
“I wanted to experience the graduation and the prom and all the American stuff,” she said.
As for soccer business, the Bears (8-2-0) are in position to claim a No. 2 seed when playoffs open in exactly two weeks. They host Bozeman Gallatin (7-2-1) Thursday at 3 p.m. at Amend Park, then travel to Bozeman High (9-0-1) for a 5 p.m. match Saturday.
The last time the West’s girls won it all was three years ago. Curnow, now a senior, has felt the full range of emotions trying to recapture the Class AA title.
“I’ve had so many different seasons at my career here at West ... going from winning the state championship, to losing in the semis, to losing in the quarterfinals. So, I know how much it sucks, and I know how great it feels to win.”
Alongside their surprise exchange student, it may not be a surprise to see the Bears make a deep postseason run when the sun sets on this season.
