ST. JOSEPH, Minn. -- International travel and some top-flight competition. That's what College of Saint Benedict midfielder/forward Avery Soli had the chance to experience as part of the USA D-3 Soccer Division III women's all-star team on its recent 10-day tour of Brazil.
 
NCAA DIII student-athletes from across the nation were invited to be part of the team. Soli, who will be a junior this fall, was one of 17 players who accepted the invitation to play a total of four games against Brazilian teams on the tour, which ran from May 26 through June 4.
 
"Brazil is considered the soccer capital of the world, so it was an opportunity I couldn't turn down," said Soli, a psychology major from Ham Lake, Minn., who earned Academic All-MIAC honors in 2024-25. "To be able to go to a new place and experience a different culture while playing a game I love was really exciting."
 
Soli, a Blaine High School graduate who had four goals and 10 points in 17 games for the Bennies last fall, had a goal and an assist on the tour, which featured matchups in São Paulo, Jundiaí and Rio de Janeiro.
 
"A couple of the teams we faced were feeders for the pro teams there," said Soli, whose team featured players from nine different schools and ended the trip 3-0-1.
 
"All of the competition was very good. The first game we played, we won 9-0. The rest were 2-1, 1-1 and 2-1. So it was very close and competitive. The teams we faced played a different style than we were used to, so it pushed us outside our comfort zone a little and made us think differently about our positions," said Soli.
 
Despite coming from different schools, Soli said everyone on the team gelled quickly.
 
"The team chemistry was pretty instant," said Soli. "There were so many high-level players and everyone had a high soccer IQ. So playing together felt natural right off the bat. It was a really fun group to be part of."