Dutch defender Danique Schuurman is living out her ‘dream’ playing in U.S.
Danique Schuurman spent her entire career in her home country of the Netherlands before moving to Syracuse for her final year of eligibility this season. Zoe Xixis | Contributing Photographer
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Danique Schuurman stocked shelves at a local grocery store in her hometown of Nijmegen, Netherlands, last year. She worked there part-time when she wasn’t playing in the Promotieklasse, the second division of Dutch women’s field hockey.
Schuurman had already graduated with a bachelor’s degree from the HAN University of Applied Sciences in Nijmegen and was ready to find a full-time job. Instead, her search led her to Syracuse, over 3,500 miles away from the Netherlands.
Schuurman long dreamed of living in the United States. After visiting Los Angeles following her graduation, she fulfilled that dream by using her final year of eligibility to play field hockey for SU.
“I was like, ‘I just need to go for it.’” Schuurman said. “This was my last opportunity to go, and I’ve always dreamed of going to America and to experience this.”
The Dutch international has been irreplaceable for the Orange this season. Before No. 10 Syracuse’s NCAA Tournament matchup with No. 6 Liberty, the defender ranks second on SU in minutes played at 875. She’s also added five goals and two assists as part of Syracuse’s penalty corner unit.
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While Schuurman thrived since making the switch overseas, she could’ve lived out her dream much earlier. In high school, she starred for her club team, NMHC Nijmegen, helping it qualify for the Dutch National Championship in outdoor and indoor hockey.
Her play soon caught the attention of Kingstalent, a Netherlands-based recruiting agency that helps other Dutch athletes move to America for college. The agency offered Schuurman the opportunity to spend four years in the U.S.
She was thankful for the chance but declined the offer. At just 17 years old, she wasn’t ready to leave the Netherlands and wanted to improve her English.
“I just couldn’t speak English at all. I would have liked to go to the U.S. during that time, but I couldn’t speak anything, so it didn’t really make sense,” Schuurman said.
Instead, she developed into a strong defender for NMHC Nijmegen. By the time she was a senior, Schuurman played for Nijmegen’s first team in the Promotieklasse.
In her second season with Nijmegen’s top squad, Martin van de Rakt took over as the team’s head coach. He said Schuurman was quiet around him to start the season, but she never complained and always remained positive.
As van de Rakt spent more time with Schuurman and the rest of the team, he noticed Schuurman’s self-confidence grew as she became more comfortable on the field, allowing her to play more freely.
That freedom, van de Rakt said, has carried over to Schuurman’s time in the U.S.. It’s allowed Schuurman to step up in big moments at SU, as two of her goals have been game-winners. When she returns to the Netherlands, van de Rakt said he hopes Schuurman plays with a similar edge.
“I hope that with the self-confidence she’s getting there in the U.S., she will come back with that self-confidence,” van de Rakt said. “I think that will change the way she’s playing, stepping out of the shy player to the player with confidence.”
Willemijn Boogert, who played with Schuurman at NHMC Nijmegen and totaled 23 goals with Syracuse from 2021-24, said part of Schuurman’s knack for contributing in clutch moments stems from her ability to stay even-keeled. Her level-headed demeanor helped calm the team down, Boogert added.
SU head coach Lynn Farquhar also praised Schuurman’s ability to stay calm. Farquhar said she was proud of the defender’s in-game composure after she “got tanked a couple times.”
“She’s just calm, which is very helpful in situations like penalty corners,” Boogert said. “You just look at her and you feel like, ‘OK, she’s got it under control, so I should too.”
In Syracuse’s loss to then-No. 20 Wake Forest on Sept. 19, Danique Schuurman works against WF forward Rory Heslin. Schuurman has started all 18 games for SU this season, racking up 12 points. Isaac Williams | Contributing Photographer
Boogert said she was happy to see her former teammate join the Orange, adding it would have been “fun” to play with her. At Nijmegen, she said the two did everything together, from traveling on the weekends to pushing each other in practice.
Schuurman agreed, calling her time with Boogert some of the “best years of her career.”
Farquhar said she noticed similarities in Schuurman and Boogert, highlighting each player’s willingness to sacrifice for the team and do the dirty work.
“She’s given the team a ton, and most of it hasn’t really been in the spotlight,” Farquhar said. “They’re quite similar in that way. However you put her on the pitch, she’s gonna get the job done.”
Off the pitch, Schuurman has been just as resilient. Before moving overseas, she fought for an eligibility waiver, eventually earning the opportunity to play for the Orange. The Dutch international was one of the first players to arrive in Syracuse this summer, spending almost a month on her own after her first two days in a new country.
In the two years leading up to her move to SU, Schuurman even taught herself English, listening to artists like Harry Styles, Taylor Swift and One Direction to practice.
It also helped to have former teammates on the team. Bo van Kempen, a graduate student defender, also played with Schuurman in the Netherlands. Together, the two represented the Dutch at the Under-15 level, where van Kempen said she was proud to represent her country with Schuurman.
“When you’re so young, you’re looking up to the real national team,” van Kempen said. “Getting the call to play with the Under-15 was a really big honor. Playing with people you already know makes it even more special.”
Danique Schuurman rears back to rip a shot toward the goal. Schuurman has become a fixture on the Orange’s defense this season, helping hold opponents to just 1.44 goals per game. Lindsay Baloun | Contributing Photographer
Having experienced Schuurman’s transition just a year before, van Kempen lived with Schuurman when she arrived on campus to help her acclimate.
Van Kempen added that it was nice to share her cultural background and speak her first language with Schuurman, a connection she also shared with Boogert. Once van Kempen got Schuurman to open up, the two quickly bonded.
One of Schuurman’s first experiences living in America was shopping for groceries with van Kempen. Without a car, van Kempen said the two walked to a local Tops near Syracuse University’s South Campus. At Tops, Schuurman bought packets of Sour Patch Kids and Swedish Fish, which van Kempen highlighted as one of her favorite memories with Schuurman.
“People think she’s a really shy, introverted person, really into her own shell,” van Kempen said. “It’s true, but once you peel off the first few layers, she opens up and she’s just a lot of fun.”
Schuurman has continued to practice her English, watching TikTok videos by Formula 1 influencer Lissie Mackintosh. When her career concludes, Schuurman said she hopes to use her master’s degree at SU’s Newhouse School of Public Communications to land a job at Formula 1 after volunteering for Formula 1 Heineken Dutch Grand Prix in 2024.
While Schuurman plans to return to the Netherlands after graduating from Syracuse, she’s solely focused on helping the Orange win the NCAA Tournament. In her last year of eligibility, Schuurman knows she won’t get another shot.
After a long journey to Syracuse, Schuurman’s ready to win with the school that helped her live out her American dream.
“One of the main reasons I came here was because I wanted to win the ACC and the national championship. I’m a person who loves to win,” Schuurman said. “We’re gonna win. I feel it.”
