LeiLanni Nesbeth, the Bermuda Under-17 forward, has verbally committed to Florida State University as she moves a step closer to fulfilling her dream of playing for a major university.

The former Saltus Grammar School student will now benefit from knowing where she will continue her academic and athletic pursuits as she moves into her final year at Bede’s in Sussex, England.

Nesbeth played for Bermuda at the Concacaf Women’s Under-17 Championship at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida, where she attracted plenty of interest from US universities.

She benefited from the tournament being moved from Nicaragua because of violence in the Central American country, as more US coaches were able to attend the rearranged matches in Florida.

Bermuda lost both their games in Florida, a 10-1 defeat to the US before losing 6-1 to Costa Rica.

FSU play in the Atlantic Coast Conference, a powerhouse in women’s football at the collegiate level. They have won four championships in the past five years.

Nesbeth will get her first taste of life in Tallahassee, where the university is based, when she attends the FSU Women’s ID Camp next month.

The 16-year-old has ruled herself out of selection for the Bermuda women’s team for the final round of the Concacaf Caribbean Championship qualifiers as she wants to keep her England options open.

Nesbeth, who plays for the Brighton & Hove Albion Under-23 Development team, top scored with nine goals for the under-17s at the Concacaf Caribbean qualifiers in Haiti last October.

She was also part of the England Independent Schools Football Association Under-18 National representative team who beat Scotland Independent Schools 3-0 in Edinburgh in February.