Feinstein wins gold in Germany

On the Cal State Dominguez Hills women’s soccer team Sami Feinstein is defensive minded as a center midfielder. But when she represented the U.S. on the women’s soccer squad in the European Maccabi Games in Berlin, Germany, Feinstein moved up top.

Feinstein said her coach wanted her to create opportunities as a forward, and that she did as she helped the U.S. team win the gold medal at the Maccabi Games that took place July 27 through Wednesday.

“It was really exciting,” Feinstein said. “It was a ton of fun.”

Feinstein, a former three-sport athlete at Costa Mesa High, got the Americans going with two goals in a 5-0 win over Sweden in the four-team competition.

She scored one goal in the U.S. women’s soccer team’s 2-0 victory against Germany. In that game, she was named the MVP of the match by her team. At the beginning of each game, the coaches traded country banners. Feinstein received the banner of the Germany victory for her performance.

Against the Netherlands, Feinstein recorded three assists in a 6-0 win.

In the final, Feinstein helped the U.S. team beat Sweden, 2-0.

Feinstein is back in California, preparing for her final season with Cal State Dominguez. She was moving into her new place in Redondo Beach on Saturday, she said. She will begin double-day practices on Aug. 17.

She reflected on her recent trip to Germany. It wasn’t only about winning gold for Feinstein. She also learned more about her Jewish heritage, and gained pride by playing for her country in the Maccabi Games.

She attended special memorial services at the railroad tracks where Jews were taken to concentration camps during World War II, and also at the stadium where the 1936 Olympics were held.

“It was an incredible experience,” Feinstein said. “From the second we got there, we started touring right away. We didn’t have that many days to tour. It was really eye-opening. It was really surreal. It was an amazing experience and those are memories that I will have for a lifetime.”

Feinstein’s father, Looie, was also in Germany to root for his daughter and share the experience.