Most teenagers leave for college knowing they have finally gained independence from their parents, but also knowing family is not too far away if they need to be called upon.

Freshman Thomas Meiner and sophomore Bernard Hagevik of the NIU men’s soccer team do not have the luxury of the latter. The Huskies defeated Wisconsin-Green Bay 2-1 on Wednesday behind goals by Vrahram Kadkhodaian and Matt Stukenberg.

A love for the game of soccer and the reputation of NIU’s College of Business has brought these two young men all the way over from Oslo, Norway.

Meiner, for the moment, has decided to major in business management. Hagevik hopes to get into advertising and is majoring in marketing.

Though Hagevik is one year older than Meiner, they have been friends for a very long time. So just how did they get here?

They began playing soccer at the age of five. Just like American football is in the United States, soccer is the main sport in Europe.

“It’s not as competitive when we’re little, but it begins to become serious when we enter our teens,” Hagevik said.

Before journeying to DeKalb, Meiner and Hagevik began learning English at the age of 12. Both speak the language well enough to take on the rigors of the United States school system.

Both attended Wang Academy, a soccer academy in Oslo, where they competed against some of the best players in Norway. They also hooked up with a club team to further their soccer experience.

There isn’t an equivalent in Norway to the All-American status that can be achieved by many high school athletes in the States.

The closest honor that can be received is making the Region team, which both players did.

“Four years ago there were Norwegian players on the team that got in touch with me and recruited me to play,” Hagevik replied. “I then recruited Thomas.”

Hagevik wasted no time proving his worth last season as he scored three goals in only seven games. He assisted on NIU’s first goal this season while Meiner accounted for the only tally in a 4-1 loss to UNLV.

When the duo’s journey began, the first thing both players noticed about this country is how much “bigger” everything appears to be. The new challenges the United States brought didn’t end there.

“There is just too much good food and temptations,” Meiner said. “We try to keep a healthy diet because we need to stay in good shape, but it is hard.”

Another challenge has been the homesickness factor.

“I have soccer and school to keep me busy, but near the end of the semester I become a little homesick,” Hagevik said.

“I expected to be more [homesick] than I really am, but soccer, friends and a girl that I met keep my mind off of it,” Meiner said.

Although Bernhard was excited for the opportunity here, not everyone was supportive of his decision.

“The older family members weren’t happy about it, but the family knows I’m having a good time and I’m glad to be here,” Hagevik said.

In their spare time, the guys like to play golf and hang out with their friends and other guys on the team, who have become some of the best teammates a player could have.

“All of the team helped us out and we are very pleased,” Hagevik said. “They showed us around and helped us get our things into our dorm. We have adapted well with their help.”

“They have really helped us out a lot and we like having them as friends and teammates,” Meiner added.

On the field, the Huskies got off to a rough start with a 0-4 mark to begin the season. So how can Meiner, Hagevik and the Huskies turn things around?

“We need to develop a winning habit and make the decisive goal,” Hagevik said. “We have a losing habit right now and a tendency to fall back. We need an offensive mentality.”

Meiner added, “The team has potential and we will turn it around soon. Then we’ll need to keep it up.”

Both men admitted that some of the problems concerning the lack of offensive production falls on their shoulders.

“We were brought here to play offense. We are here to get assists and score goals,” Meiner said.

One thing the boys stressed is how important coach Willy Roy has been to them. Coming from Norway, they were used to playing with four defenders and attacking the goal with “lots of speed.”

“Here we use three defenders with a sweeper,” Hagevik said. “Coach has taught us to be more patient by controlling and keeping the ball.”

“He makes a lot of jokes and is very funny,” Meiner added. “He wants the best from us.”

As for what the future holds for Hagevik and Meiner, neither is absolutely sure, but mentioning Major League Soccer does bring a smile to their faces.

“If possible, it would be nice,” said Hagevik. “Otherwise I would definitely like to do advertising.”

“We’ll figure something out. If anything, [college] will get us off to a good start,” Meiner said.