University of Richmond Athletics
Riefner Helps PK-35 Vantaa to Naisten Liiga Title
09/28/2016 | Women's Soccer
University of Richmond women's soccer standout Ashley Riefner hasn't backed down since her career as a Spider ended last fall.
The first team All-Atlantic 10 honoree headed overseas to Finland just five months ago to begin her professional career with PK-35 Vantaa, and now can call herself a member of the Naisten Liiga championship team.
“Coming to Finland, I really didn't know what to expect,” Riefner said. “Everything was so foreign to me and I had never been this outside of my comfort zone. To win a championship and to know that I was a part of it is an amazing feeling.”
Riefner and PK-35 Vantaa recently defeated HJK, 2-1, but had to wait to find out their fate as champions. With a 1-1 draw between second and third-place teams TPS and Åland United, the team could exhale, as it took home the Naisten Liiga for the third-straight season and sixth time in the past seven years.
The Richmond grad went through quite a journey to get to this point. The professional season began in April, but Riefner didn't arrive in Finland until May 1. Upon arrival, she could practice with the team but could not compete, as she was not yet cleared by the US Soccer Association.
Upon receiving her clearance, Riefner saw playing time for the team in the backfield, eventually working her way into a starting position as an outside midfielder. She has scored five goals through Naisten Liiga play, and currently sits fifth on the team in scoring with two league games to play.
Despite taking another league championship, Riefner and her team have their eye on another prize.
PK-35 Vantaa is also competing in the Finnish Cup, a single-elimination tournament comprised of all of the professional teams in Finland. The team has already made its way into the finals, with Riefner present for the quarterfinal and semifinal games. They will now prepare to face FC Honka in the finals, which will be held on October 16.
A finals win would be especially sweet, as PK-35 Vantaa has not won the Finnish Cup since 2013.
As for Riefner, she is enjoying this opportunity and using it to build on her previous success at Richmond.
“I feel strongly that I'm doing what I'm supposed to be doing,” she said. “I'm playing soccer, and I'm loving every second of it.”
