BY SCOTT FRENCH
Senior Editor

Becky Barritt has had a terrific time in Finland, where she's a starting center back for Espoo-based FC Honka in the top tier of the Finnish League.

The former Duquesne University defender has played in 11 matches for Honka — eight in Naisten SM action, three in the Suomen (Finnish) Cup — and scored a goal in a 5-0 league victory July 11 over Kontu, Honka's most recent victory.

''I like the team, the atmosphere, and the coaching's good,'' the former Duquesne University defender told Soccer America. ''I feel I fit in good with the team. … We're competitive, but the past couple games have been hard.''

Seventh-place Honka (3-5-4) has been shut out in its past three games, including 4-0 losses at home July 18 to first-place FC United and on Saturday to fourth-place SCR.

Barritt missed Saturday's game, Honka's first following a two-week break, while flying home to join her family at Sunday's Pro Football Hall of Fame induction ceremony in Canton, Ohio. The Barritts are huge John Elway fans.

''Five years ago [when Elway retired and it became apparent] this would be the time he'd get in, we made plans to be there,'' Barritt said Monday. ''I was born in Colorado, my parents lived in Colorado, and I grew up a [Denver] Bronco fan. John Elway has been one of my heroes for the longest time.

''We decided a long time ago we'd be here for this. Whether I was here or anywhere else, I was going to come.''

Barritt was at Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport, awaiting her connection to the United States, when she heard Honka was losing to SCR.

''I was kind of pissed off on the plane, knowing we were losing, and I couldn't decide if it was right for me to be [in Canton],'' she said. ''But, oh my God, it was incredible. I'm so glad I came. [Elway] gave the greatest speech. And it meant a lot to my mom that we were there.''

There was a huge Broncos fan presence for the ceremony, in which Elway and fellow NFL greats Barry Sanders, Carl Eller and Bob Brown were honored.

Barritt was scheduled to return to Finland on Tuesday, and she'll be available for the Honka's next match, Aug. 17 at MPS. The season runs through late September.

She's not had a difficult time adjusting to life in Finland, and fans can follow her across the Atlantic through a diary she is penning for FC Honka's Web site. ''Becky's Diary'' can be found at www.fchonka.org/n1/joukkue/becky.htm.

In her first entry, Barritt wrote of her childhood dreams of playing soccer in the English Premier League. ''Of course, back then I didn't understand that girls couldn't play in the English Premier League. While I am very far away from being an international superstar, or playing in the Premier League like my 8-year-old self had wanted, I am still living my dream, and it feels wonderful.''

Barritt is living with teammate Elina Syrjala and her parents, who she said ''treat me like I'm part of the family,'' and she is working for the Helsinki School of Economics, doing research into soccer and marketing.

''I am looking into teams all over the world to try to understand how they run their organizations and develop a successful market for their teams,'' she said. ''There are a few teams from the U.S. that I am getting information from, and there are also teams from England and, obviously, Finland, too.''

Barritt, who got her degree in corporate communications/public relations, is working with Finnish men's national-teamer Timo Marjamaa — a student at the school — on the project.

She says she's picked up enough Finnish to understand what is being said on the field, and she has a translator who works with her, but nearly everybody speaks English so the language barrier has not been a problem.

Honka was without its top scorer, Sanna Talonen, against SCR. Talonen injured her ankle at the Nordic Cup, where she scored two of Finland's four goals in the under-21 competition. The backline was weakened by Barritt's absence and a back injury to fellow central defender Anette Brandt, who was removed in the second half.

IBV RETURNED to Icelandic League action with an emphatic 6-2 victory over KR in a showdown between two of the three best Landsbankadeild Kvenna clubs.

Former Philadelphia Charge defenders Rachel Kruze and Mary McVeigh were in the lineup for IBV, which pulled away with three goals in the final 15 minutes.

Former KR star Olga Faerseth scored four goals for IBV, giving her 14 for the season. Margret Lara Vidarsdottir netted her 19th, and Erna Dogg Sigurjonsdottir scored her second.

IBV (7-1-2) remained five points behind first-place Valur (9-0-1), which bombed Stjarnan, 7-0, as Nina Osk Kristinsdottir and Kristin Yr Bjarnadottir scored two goals apiece. Stjarnan (1-5-4) was playing its first match since the departure of Sarah Lentz, a University of South Carolina senior, and former Gamecock Alison Jarrow.

KR (6-2-2) fell eight points off the lead.

Former Charge forward Emily Burt is expected to make her Russian League debut Thursday for FC Energy Voronezh. The Supreme League leaders are home against CSK WWS.

The game is Energy's first since the departure of former Charge defender Jenny Benson, who returned home to California during a league break and decided not to return to Voronezh.

FINLAND
* Becky Barritt (FC Honka, D1), vs. SCR, 0-4 (Saturday).
DNP. Seventh-place Honka is 3-5-4.
Season league stats: 8 games, 1 goal.

ICELAND
* Rachel Kruze (IBV, D1), vs. KR, 6-2 (Friday).
90 minutes. Second-place IBV is 7-1-2.
at Stjarnan, Tuesday.
Season league stats: 3 games, 1 goal.

* Mary McVeigh (IBV, D1), vs. KR, 6-2 (Friday).
Started, replaced in 61st minute by Samantha Britton. Second-place IBV is 7-1-2.
at Stjarnan, Tuesday.
Season league stats: 8 games, 0 goals.

RUSSIA
* Emily Burt (FC Energy Voronezh), vs. CSK WWS, Thursday.
Season league stats: 0 games, 0 goals.