UCF women\u2019s soccer alumna Aline Reis \u201911 dared to believe she could participate in this month\u2019s Summer Olympics, even though she hadn\u2019t played in years. When she proudly parades through Rio de Janeiro’s Maracan\u00e3 Stadium during the opening ceremony Friday, she\u2019ll do so in front of her home country.<\/p>\n
Reis is one of three UCF alumni who will compete in the Olympics this year. She is making her first Olympics appearance along with Ricardo Gouveia \u201914 (Portugal, golf) and three-time Olympian Phil Dalhausser \u201902, \u00a0will look to recreate some magic from the 2008 Beijing Games when he won gold for Team USA in beach volleyball.<\/p>\n
Reis was an All-American goalkeeper for the UCF women\u2019s soccer team from 2007 to11 before graduating with a bachelor\u2019s degree in interdisciplinary studies and minors in coaching and health sciences. After a brief stint playing overseas, Reis got into coaching and spent the past two years on UCLA\u2019s soccer staff as a volunteer goalkeeper coach, but she said she felt a desire to play again after watching the FIFA Women’s World Cup in 2015.<\/p>\n
She was called up to Brazil’s National Team Camp in February with no guarantees of a spot on the Olympic roster. She had never competed in a match for Brazil\u2019s National Team before, so she was overjoyed when she claimed one of the two coveted goalkeeper slots on the 18-member roster.<\/p>\n
Reis posted this on her Facebook account July 12, the day she learned she made the cut:<\/p>\n