( CNN ) It was almost 5 p.m. on a Tuesday , and 18-year-old Woodline Kethura Robuste was doing her homework , researching Voltaire at a Port-au-Prince cybercafe . Meanwhile , Kencia Marseille , 29 , had returned home from a day at Alliance Universite -- where she studied information technology -- and was chatting with a friend . That 's when everything started to shake . Violently . While Kethura was able to run out , unscarred , she lost her uncle and her house was destroyed . Kencia was injured when falling debris struck and broke her hip . Luckily , everyone else in her family survived unhurt . It 's been five years since a January afternoon in Haiti was interrupted by a devastating earthquake that instantly changed millions of lives and everyone still remembers the day vividly . It is estimated that the earthquake took the lives of more than 230,000 people . Five years after the quake : Haiti at a crossroads . But since 2012 , these two women -- along with 20 others -- have also shared a different experience . In the outskirts of South Bend , Indiana , a town where sports usually means Notre Dame football , 22 Haitian and Haitian-American women live in two small apartments and work hard to achieve one big dream : They strive to win soccer glory wearing the colors of the Haiti National Women 's Soccer Team under the guide of Polish-born coach Shek Borkowski . To open their doors is to enter another world where Creole mixes with English and French in the hallway of an apartment kept at tropical warmth . Fragrant rice , beans and bananes cook on the stove top . Socks , shorts and jerseys are in the washing machine ; bright cleats are strewn in room corners . They come from Port-au-Prince , the capital , as well as Leogane , Cap Haitien and Petit Goave . Some played with local teams , with unclear prospects for a future in the sport . Their stories are those of struggle and of love for a game they played despite mothers ' warnings , admonitions or disapproval . Kencia , now 33 , is the only one of her 16 siblings who plays the sport . `` My mother , she did n't accept me playing soccer , she thought that soccer is only for men , but I like soccer since I was young . I always liked to play , even though she beat me , even though I had to hide to play , '' she recalls . Kencia , the team captain until this season , was one of the first players recruited by Borkowski . While living in Port-au-Prince , she played with the Aigle Brilliant and was told about the team that the coach was assembling . She did n't think twice about making the leap . `` I was really happy because my objective for a long time was to play in another country , '' she says . Charities continue to help in Haiti 's recovery . What was the hardest thing about coming to the United States ? The cold , she says , as she digs deeper into the pockets of a blue sports jacket with the seal of the Haiti Soccer . For the players , being part of the team also means sacrifices . None of them gets paid or gets perks . Kethura -- or Kethu as she 's affectionately known -- lost her father last year in the midst of the World Cup qualifier matches season . The Haitian Soccer Federation offered to cover a one-way ticket to Haiti with a much later return flight . She decided to stay and play with the team . `` Soccer helps me forget the pain . I do n't think of anything , '' says soft-spoken Kethura , who is now 22 and also serves as the team translator . Her first soccer memory was a gift from her father . `` I was 7 or 8 years old when I got my first cleats , from my father . I always played with the other kids but barefoot . One day he decided to buy me new cleats , '' she recalls . `` My father always talked to me about soccer because he loved the game , and he wanted me to play soccer and become a great football ( player ) . '' The team has brought together players from all backgrounds , sharing Haitian roots and soccer dreams . Shanna Hudson lives in Southern California , where she played for the LA Blues before the team folded . She came to play for Borkowski after hearing he needed players . With perfect English and `` so-so '' Creole , she says her grandparents came from Haiti . Samantha Brand also lives and trains in California , where she met fellow teammate Kim Boulos , a blond , green-eyed player of Haitian descent . They quickly reported to Borkowski to join the team when it all began in 2012 . Princeton janitor brings clean water to hometown in Haiti . `` It 's our shot at glory , '' Kim says with a broad smile . Samantha proudly shows a video of the sub-11 girls team she coaches back home in San Francisco . For Samantha -- for them all -- it 's all about building a future for women in the sport . `` I think it 's really important for females like us to be coaches . My club right now is supporting me through this entire thing because they realize that young females do n't have enough female professional soccer players that are tangible to them , and so I think it 's really a big responsibility for us to turn around and give back to the youth , '' she says . At the helm of this squad is Shek Borkowski , an established soccer coach who took FC Indiana , in the Women 's Premiere Soccer League , to two consecutive championships in 2007 and 2008 and Russian club Zvezda to a Supreme League title in the 2009-2010 season . Borkowski was offered the coaching position , and after watching Haiti play in the London Olympics , he decided to take on the challenge and aimed to help the team become the first Caribbean nation to play at the 2015 Women 's World Cup . Borkowski met with Haitian Soccer Federation President Yves Jean-Bart . `` President Jean Bart was very upfront with me ; he shared the challenges that the federation faced so I just knew from day one . '' With limited funds from the Federation -- just enough to cover the travel between Haiti and the United States -- Borkowski brought the team to the South Bend , Indiana . `` The soccer culture in Haiti is such where if a boy plays soccer , there 's clear opportunities for that boy to turn professional . So the family understands that , and they will allow the boy to play and practice . `` With girls , there [ are ] simply no opportunities available , so it 's not being taken serious , '' says Borkowski . `` For families , it 's difficult to understand why a girl should be practicing twice a day because there is no end game , '' he adds . `` The only way to take a step forward was to bring them to a controlled environment . It was critical for us to get them out of Haiti and bring them to the United States , '' he says . In South Bend , Borkowski incorporated part of the squad to the FC Indiana team and uses the college soccer season as preparation for the team and practice for tournaments . He also established a nonprofit organization -- IWOF for International Women 's Opportunity Foundation -- to raise funds for the team . They regularly do soccer camps and fundraising events to cover their costs . `` We 're typically three months behind on rent payments because the money we bring in comes in the summer months , '' says Borkowski . `` This is pretty stressful for players . '' Everything from their uniforms and cleats to the gear and the coaching staff 's time is donated . `` All of our positions are voluntary , in that we do not receive any type of salary '' says Kristin Eggert , the team 's assistant coach and a former soccer player . The squad aimed to change their fate by qualifying for the 2015 Women 's World Cup in Canada . The qualifying tournament held over the summer across the Caribbean and several U.S. cities helped them gain notoriety , particularly after the cash-strapped team came to aid its counterparts from Trinidad and Tobago , coached by Randy Waldrum . `` His team arrived in Dallas with 500 dollars and no transportation from the airport . Randy Waldrum is a former coach for the University of Notre Dame ; he 's helped us in terms of development and so when this happened to his team , it was just a natural reaction that we have to help as well , '' Borkowski said . Their gesture went viral in the Twittersphere , many pledged support to the Haitian team . Among them , TOMS shoes donated sports gear , and the Clinton Foundation reached out to inquire about the team 's needs . Borkowski says substantive aid still needs to materialize . But after a very exciting season of matches against Caribbean countries and bigger teams such as USA , Mexico and Costa Rica , Haiti was unable to win the three matches needed to secure a spot to the World Cup . For Borkowski , it 's back to the drawing board . `` We are at a crossroad , '' he says . `` We do n't know how we 're going to approach preparation this year . '' For some players , this was the end of the road . Captain Kencia Marseille and other players return to Haiti , to go on with the lives they paused in the name of the sport . Roughly half of the players that came from Haiti will remain in the team and a new crop will join the national squad as well as the U-17 and U-20 teams , all coached by Borkowski . Qualifying matches for the two spots available to the Confederation of North , Central American and Caribbean Football Associations for the 2016 Olympics starts this coming fall . The players ' dreams live on .
The worlds of Woodline * ##n and Kencia Marseille imploded five years ago . Along with 20 other women , they moved to the United States to seek soccer scholarships . Between financial difficulties and the challenges women 's teams face , it 's been a hard year .