By Shane Donaldson
Associate Athletic Director, External Relations and New Media

KINGSTON, R.I. - Aida Name was drawn to soccer from a young age, all the way back to when she first joined a town league team as a 4-year-old in Belchertown, Mass. She dabbled in other sports, like gymnastics and karate, but the pitch has always been her calling.

The beautiful game has always called her name.

"For me, it was about being part of a team," Name said. "When I tried gymnastics, that is more of an individual thing. Sure, you want to score points for you team or company, but the performance itself is only on you. In soccer, you win as a team and lose as a team. At the end of the day, it is all the work you put in together that will determine your success."

For Name, it has always been about something bigger than herself. Not just in soccer, but off the field as well. The four-year starter and two-year captain for the Rams has been a Dean's List Kinesiology student every semester at Rhode Island. She has her sights set on medical school when her time in Kingston is done. It started with a high school class about medicine, and her love for understanding the body has only grown since.

"I have always been interested in the human body and movement, and that's what Kinesiology is," Name said. "I've always wanted to work in healthcare and become a doctor."

She has two examples to follow right at home. Both of her parents are doctors at Holyoke Health Center, where Name has been working as a medical intern since June. Her father Elias works in geriatric internal medicine, while her mother Vanessa works in pediatrics. Name hasn't decided what specific direction she wants to pursue. In her internship, she has observed and assisted medical professionals across different specialties as they worked with patients of a primarily low-income and Latin-immigrant community.

She sees what her parents do at Holyoke Health, and it inspires Name.

"I've seen how hard they work and the effort they put into helping others," Name said. "It has always resonated with me, and I have always wanted to do that as well. They work with folks who don't always have the right insurance or insurance that doesn't cover much. They are constantly working to make sure their patients have the proper care without needing to pay more than they can afford.

"I always appreciated how much advocacy they do to stand up for their patients. They have worked at Holyoke Health Center and at public health centers for so long. Everyone at the health centers love them because of their dedication."
 

Name speaks with great pride about her family. It is a mutual kind of pride, as she was able to represent her family on the soccer field as part of the Panama U20 National Team in 2023. She is half Panamanian, on her father's side, and during her senior year of high school, Name earned a tryout with the national team program.

Growing up, Name and her family traveled back to Panama often. Because of her soccer career, the trips haven't come as often, but those family connections were vital when it came time to try out with the national team.

"The fact that I have so much family there that was really able to support me in it and help me was huge," said Name, who completed some of her high school work early in order to travel to Panama. "They hosted me, and my high school was really good about me leaving for a little bit.

Name practiced with the national team for a couple weeks. Then her mother received an email from the U20 manager.


"My whole family was super stoked about it," Name said. "My mom was almost like my manager is a sense. She was communicating with the team manager. We were at a restaurant and she said, 'Oh my gosh, look at this email I just got.' My dad was just totally freaking out about it. He played soccer when he was younger, but he never took it as far."

Watching the Panamanian team was a shared experience for Name and her father. When the team qualified for the World Cup for the first time ever in 2018, it became a core memory for her.

"We would always watch the men's team play, and when they qualified for the World Cup, I remember him screaming so hard," Name said. "It was insane. For him to be able to see me be a part of the women's program - which also recently qualified for the World Cup for the first time - was just a huge moment. My whole family in Panama was super excited as well. They all got jerseys and had everything with my name and number on it."

In the summer before she arrived at Rhode Island, Name traveled to Curacao for CONCACAF friendlies. Then she went to Avignon, France with Team Panama, where she played against France, Japan and South Africa in the Sud Ladies Cup 2023. The team went straight from France to the Dominican Republic, where Name played in group qualifying matches against the United States, Mexico and Canada.

"Everything about the experience was extremely elevated," Name said. "It was my first taste of what it felt like to almost be professional. Everything was live broadcasted on TV. It was all very official. These were the soccer federations that are hosting the events you see the national teams play in. It was an incredible experience. Being on the field and hearing the national anthem and being on a big stage like that was something I'll never forget."

While the Team Panama experience was an elevated level of soccer for Name, she and her teammates have elevated the women's soccer team at URI. Each year since she arrived, the team has improved, going from four wins in 2024 to seven in 2025 and then 13 last season. The 13 victories were the most for the program since 2002, and the Rams made the Atlantic 10 Championships before falling in penalty kicks to top-seeded Dayton. This year Rhody is 4-4-3 and coming off important back-to-back conference wins against George Washington and on the road over La Salle.

"It really has been an amazing experience to have," Name said. "Not many people get to say they were part of the years that really saw a program elevate in terms of competitiveness and standards.

"What brought me here was the team culture. It was never about statistics. It was about finding a place where I felt I could fit in and really help out. Luckily, that is what Rhode Island ended up being for me. Seeing all these new girls come and make a difference, to be a part of it all, has been really, really cool. All of the hard work that we've been putting in is translating onto the field."

Teamwork. The very thing that first drew Name into the sport is now playing a key role in the place she has called home for the last four years.

"In this last year, I find myself thinking about how insane it is because of how fast it has gone by," Name said. "I wouldn't trade this experience for anything."