Cecilie Henriksen, who was named to the NSCAA/NAIA All-America team in 2011 as a senior at Embry-Riddle University and has played several years on the Denmark national team, has recently been named Northwestern State’s newest assistant soccer coach by head coach George VanLinder.
A standout soccer player her entire life, Henriksen was a member of the U14 and U15 Denmark Northern Region team from 2000-02. She played Denmark’s U17 National team in 2002-03; U19 National team in 2003-04; and U21 National squad in 2004-05.
“To have someone on our staff who has played with her national team (Denmark) for six years, and who has been named collegiate All-American, I think is a plus for any college program,” said VanLinder. “Her international experience brings a different perspective to the team that the players and the rest of the coaching staff alike can learn from and appreciate.”
Henriksen signed a scholarship with Baylor in 2007 before transferring to Embry-Riddle, but before that, she played for the Ottawa Fury of the USL W-League in Canada in 2008.
A team captain as a junior and senior, she earned All-Sun Conference honors her senior season and was responsible for three game-winning goals. She had two penalty kick goals with her second the most memorable as it came in the second overtime of the Sun Conference tournament.
She was a member of the Student Athlete Leadership Team which was comprised of 14 student-athletes, one from each sport, who was chosen by their respective head coaches who selected those athletes that represents leadership.
The Denmark native, who is fluent in Danish, German, Norwegian and Swedish in addition to English, has spent the last three years working camps and with club teams.
In 2010, she coached a U14 squad working on speed, tactical and technical aspects of the game. She also coached a U12 squad this past season and has worked numerous college and professional camps.
“She is a very goal driven person,” said VanLinder. At age 14, when she first came to the United States, she knew then that she wanted to play soccer and attend college in here, and despite offers to turn professional at a young age, she maintained her focus of playing college soccer.”
Henriksen earned her Bachelor of Science in Interdisciplinary Studies at Embry Riddle in 2011 and minored in psychology, human factors, and communication. She graduated with a 3.0 grade point average.
“From a recruiting standpoint, she has lots of contacts at the international level,” said VanLinder. “Many of her former college teammates are from Texas and Florida, two soccer hotbeds nationally. I think that the experiences she brings as a player will be beneficial for any player who wants to play college soccer and has dreams of reaching the higher levels.
“Her goal is to be a successful college soccer coach, and I expect she will bring that same determination that she has in the past.”
The 26-year old is the daughter of Gitte and Steen Henriksen and is a native of Naestved, Denmark. She has two younger brothers, Nicolai and Tobias Henriksen.
