NEW HAVEN, Conn. – Giovanna Dionicio has been training with the Dominican Women's National Team hoping to qualify for the 2023 World Cup.

She first played for the national team in the spring of her first year at Yale. That was with the U20 group in the U20 World Cup Qualifiers. Dionicio helped the Dominican Republic get to the semifinals, its best-ever finish.

"Playing for this team has been one of my greatest soccer experiences," said the junior defender who played eight games for the Bulldogs last fall. "Not only do I feel proud and blessed to get to play on a national team, I get to represent a country that my parents - and most of my family - grew up in and treasure. That makes the experience even better."

Last year, she was called up to the DR National Team, for which she has played in three camps. They recently began a journey to qualify for the World Cup in a group that includes Jamaica, Bermuda, Grenada and the Cayman Islands.

"It was such a great experience getting to play with players from around the world and the DR, and especially professional soccer players from Denmark, Finland, and Spain," said Dionicio, a West Hartford, Conn., native. 

The DR beat Grenada 9-0 and then got a goal from Dionicio in a 4-0 win over Cayman Islands that puts her team in first place with a 13-goal differential. They play Bermuda and Jamaica in April hoping to move on to the next round.

"Playing games in the DR, in my parents' hometown, is an unmatched experience, and I will never take for granted getting to put on a national team jersey and playing for something much bigger than myself."