BOSTON —

A few nights a week, a combination of languages and cultures echoes across a field nestled in East Boston.

Through drills and matches, nearly 40 teenage girls from all corners of the world communicate with each other through the universal language of soccer as they work to acclimate to life in a new country.

"It means freedom. It helps us be more ourselves, it helps liberate ourselves and stay true to who we are," said Daniela Gallego, whose family moved to Boston from Colombia.

Gallego is one of a growing number of immigrant and refugee youth finding solace in the program Soccer Without Borders-Massachusetts. The international nonprofit uses the world's most popular sport to create a safe space for newcomers.

"We want them to find this space where they feel safe to learn the

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