Nigeria's Uchenna Kanu reflects on extraordinary three-year experience in United States

Nigeria-born Uchenna Kanu has reflected on her extraordinary three years experience with Southeastern University in the United States.

The 21-year-old joined The Fire mid-season 2016 after being part of Nigeria's good outing in the 2014 Fifa U20 Women's World Cup, scoring 115 goals plus 33 assists in past three seasons.

During her three years, the former Delta Queens forward set a single-season goalscoring record with 57 in 2018 and was named 2018 United Soccer Coaches NAIA Player of the Year.

And the young sensation, took time out to share her early challenges as well as how she has been adapting to life in the Lakeland.

"For the first time in three years, I found a sandwich that I actually like," Kanu told club's website.

"The food is totally different here. I had a really hard time eating the food in America when I first came here. I was like, this is weird. Sandwiches are not a thing in Africa, but here they are definitely a thing. Everything is on a sandwich.

"I am a lot more comfortable trying different foods like mac and cheese and sandwiches now. I don't eat them a lot, but will try them. I also realized that I really like chicken wings.

"When I first came, I was more reserved and tried to figure out who would be my friend and accept me for who I am. I kept everything to myself and observed everybody try to understand the culture. It took some time to do that."

On her goalscoring feat, Kanu further revealed how she hit the ground running with her collegiate career since departing from Nigeria.

"Being able to work hard during practice and everything I could do to be an example to everyone on and off the field without having to say a lot, but just having a good attitude helped me at first and opened up a lot of friendships on the team," she continued.

"At Southeastern, I have learned that being a Christian is not all about the outward appearance. It's all about your heart and your relationship with God. Following Christ is not about how many times you go to church, or occasions, or worship services, but how often in your quiet times do you seek the face of God.

"I know I am at Southeastern because God wanted me here. I wouldn't be here if it wasn't His purpose for me. It means a lot to me to be surrounded by people who help me grow in my faith and accept me for who I am."

Kanu's goalscoring form inspired Southeastern University to back-to-back conference championships and the NAIA National Championship Tournament successes.