Northeastern women's soccer player Greta Samuelsdottir (Kopavogur, Iceland) has been named to the Icelandic national team that is set to compete in the prestigious Algarve Cup, March 2-9. The tournament, held annually in the Algarve region of Portugal, is one of the world's most celebrated women's soccer events.

“It's the top honor you can receive,” Samuelsdottir said of being selected to represent her native Iceland. “Soccer can be played for many reasons, but this is the ultimate reason—to represent your country and to wear the shirt with the flag of your country on it. It's the best feeling ever.”

“We are so happy for Greta that she has this amazing opportunity to represent her country in a tremendous international event,” said Northeastern head women's soccer coach Tracey Leone. “She has worked incredibly hard for this. She will be playing against some of the best teams in the world. This is an exciting time for her.”

Samuelsdottir is coming off a strong 2010 performance at Northeastern. The sophomore forward started all 18 games for the Huskies and finished the season with eight goals and five assists to tie for the team lead with 21 points.

The road to the Algarve Cup, though, has not been an easy one for Samuelsdottir, who battled back from a difficult knee injury. “It made me appreciate soccer so much more,” she said of the injury. “It taught me so much as an athlete, to just keep going and keep working. I don't take practice for granted anymore.”

Samuelsdottir is no stranger to international competition, having played for the Icelandic full national team, as well as its under-21, under-19 and under-17 affiliates. She also competed in the Junior Olympics with the under-17 team. Additionally, Samuelsdottir won the Icelandic Championship and Cup Championship in 2005 with Breidablik FC.

“I believe in setting goals, and this has been a goal the whole time,” Samuelsdottir said of being selected. “I'm excited to have this opportunity and I hope to use it well.”

The Algarve Cup is a global invitational tournament for national teams in women's soccer. Iceland will play Sweden on March 2 in its Group B opener, China on March 4 and Denmark on March 7. Group A features the United States, Japan, Norway and Finland, and Group C features host Portugal, Chile, Wales and Romania. The winners of groups A and B will compete for the championship on March 9.