photo by Hrefna Morthens
Deja Sandoval was part of the FHL squad which punished opponents nets on the way to the Lengjudeild title last season. She has returned to Iceland for a second season, this time with FH in the Besta deild. Deja is no stranger to winning championships, as she was part of the UTSA Roadrunners team that won the C-USA conference Championship in 2022. She is also the all-time record holder for the school in games played at 87, which she accumulated over 5 seasons in San Antonio, Texas.
This photo diary comes as FH have made a brilliant start to the 2025 season, at the time recording 4 wins and a draw from the opening 5 matches, and they’ve since also beaten last year’s champions Breiðablik, despite losing starting goalkeeper Aldís Guðlaugsdóttir to an ACL injury. Deja capured her activities around a period where FH beat Fylkir to reach the quarter finals of the cup, and also faced fellow hot-starters in the league, Þróttur.
Day 1 – Monday May 12th
“Game day vs. Fylkir with 16 teams left in the Milk Cup.”
“Game Day breakfast.”
“Pre-Game Talks. We won 4-1, which takes us to the next round with 8 teams left.”
Day 2 – Tuesday May 13th
“Went to the gym the next morning. They are currently renovating, and it is looking so good.”
“The foreigners from different teams got together for a barbecue to watch the Eurovision competition.”
Day 3 – Wednesday May 14th
“I’m currently in a Vet Tech program so this is me just getting some homework done.”
“Decided to get the amazing sushi deal from Costco and eat it at a stone beach area.”
Day 4 – Thursday May 15th
“Got an iced latte for the first time since being here.”
“We always have lift before practice where we’re able to stretch/ roll out and complete some exercises.”
Day 5 – Friday May 16th
“Did our typical walk to the grocery store, the weather was the best I’ve ever seen in Iceland. Shorts and a tank top is unheard of.”
“Meal prepped a little and ended the day with the gym and a training session.”
Day 6 – Saturday May 17th
“Game Day vs. Þróttur breakfast”
“Arrived to the locker room, first time wearing the all black jerseys. Unfortunately took our first loss of the season.”
“Had dinner with some old teammates at a food hall.”
Day 7 – Sunday May 18th
“Arrived to the facility to see our physio and then completed a few exercises.”
“Finished off the day watching some footy and eating sushi. You can clearly tell sushi is my favorite food.”
Day 8 – Monday May 19th
“Off day was spent at our local cafe.”
“Anyways that’s my photo diary for the week! Thanks for reading.”
All photos and text in quotes are by/from Deja Sandoval unless otherwise specified. The intro paragraphs were written by Gus Stephens.