SPECIAL THANKS!!

I would just like to say a special thank you to everybody involved with the Italy trip. We could not have had such an amazing experience if it was not for the people behind the scenes. Thank you firstly to our Athletic Director Brett Adams for his support of the trip for both teams. To Chip Rouse, the faculty member that conducted a one credit course for the student-athletes. To Jason Eichelberger, our Sports Information Director, for helping me update the blog and for the publicity on the website. To the parents that supported their daughters going to Italy and to the parents that came with us who helped make sure that things ran smoothly. The hotel staff were all very helpful and our tour guide Antonella was a great help. I also want to say a big thank you to John Plevyak, the Head men's soccer coach at Stevenson, and his assistant's Thomas Kane and Mike Radcliffe. John is a very good friend and we both work very well together. His team was very responsible and helped make sure the girls were safe, I am so happy both teams went together.

I would not be showing my appreciation to all these people if it was not for the company that organized the whole trip. Eric McAleer and Sara Kenney from Excel International Sports are responsible for this trip of a lifetime. If any college team wants to go on an international trip to Italy then I would without doubt highly recommend going to this beautiful country. The people of Italy welcomed our team with open arms and the host teams treated our teams with the upmost respect.

Lastly and for me the most important, Thank you to my players!! We accomplished a lot in such a short amount of time. To be able to go to Venice, Florence, Rome and play 3 games in 9 days takes a lot of energy, enthusiasm, patience and an open mind to explore a culture completely different than our own here in the States. The players made Stevenson University proud and I know I will never forget the good times we had in Italy. We played as a team and had fun off the field as a team, I hope we can continue to support and respect each other next season and beyond.

Florence and Rome Through the Eyes of Senior Brittany Bangert

Each day of the trip was eventful and full of its own adventures yet I think most would agree that Saturday was one of the highlights. We woke up early on Saturday to a typical Italian breakfast of slices of ham and cheese that we became accustomed to over the week and prepared for a journey to Florence. Once we arrived in Florence we went on a tour of the many gorgeous churches as well as to see the Medici Palace and the replica of David as well as several other statues representing Greek Mythology. After our 1-hour tour several of us were guided by Antonella to the Ponte Vecchio, a medieval bridge with several shops, mostly jewelry stores, built on the bridge. Afterward, we split up and had some free time for more shopping, eats at local cafes as well as the opportunity to explore the beautiful churches and architecture in Florence. I think most of us would have liked a few more hours in Florence but we had to allow time for traffic later in the day so it was cut short. But I think the taste that Florence left was strong enough for many of us to want to make a return someday.

We then headed off to La Spezia, a beautiful little town built on a harbor, where we would await a boat, provided by our opponent later that night. The boat took us to the breathtaking island of Cinque Terre. Cinque Terre is a little town that is basically built into a mountain. The steepness of the houses built in the mountain is unreal. The island has several little tunnels and pathways where you can navigate the city. The highlight of the Cinque Terre was the chance to explore Via dell'Amore, known as Lover's Pathway. It's basically a concrete pathway that overlooks the sea with an amazing view. Along the pathway you will find hundreds of locks that couples from all over have placed and thrown the key into the sea to represent their unbreakable bond. We also had a stop at a local restaurant along the pathway where we were served heart-shaped pasta that was delicious!

Running slightly behind on time we had to hurry along to catch the bus to our third and final game vs. Calcio La Spezia. Once we arrived we only had time for a 10 minute warm-up so we were all feeling a little rushed and anxious. The first half was a little bumpy -- figuratively and literally. The field conditions made it extremely difficult to control the ball and without a warm-up we had trouble getting into sync in the first half, allowing them a goal that bounced through the defense.
After we had time to talk it out at halftime and had the chance to get rid of the anxiety of feeling a little rushed -- we calmed down a lot and we're able to put more passes together. We found ourselves on the winning end of a 3-1 victory, making us undefeated in international play.


The next morning we would rise early and head to Rome! Overlooking the itinerary before the trip I was excited and overwhelmed by the many experiences we would have and the cities we'd visit but I anticipated the trip to Rome the most. It took us about 4 hours to reach The Eternal City and we arrived at 3pm. We had a few hours to unpack and unwind before our walking tour at 5.30pm. We boarded a bus and reached the Colosseum where we'd begin our hour and 15 min. tour of the city and its amazing history. We explored the many sites including the Colosseum, the Roman Forum, Constantin Arch, the Spanish Steps, Trevi Fountain, the Pantheon and of course all stopped for a quick Gelato break on the way. We headed back to the hotel for dinner and time to recuperate before our final full day in Rome.

On Monday we had free time in the morning to do as we please so our group took the Metro back to the city to do some shopping in the morning and then we headed to the Vatican city. Luckily we had a reservation as we passed a line of hundreds of people of about 30,000 that would visit Rome that day where we would spent half our day waiting in line without a reservation. We had a 3-hour tour of the Vatican Museum where we passed through the halls of the Vatican City filled with tapestries, statues, paintings, and all kinds of beautiful art that spoke volumes of the history and importance of the city. We proceeded to the Sistine Chapel, where we weren’t allowed to take pictures, yet even if we were allowed, it wouldn’t do justice to the level of beauty that stood within that room. We had the chance to explore St. Peter's Basilica (where the tour guide said could hold up to 2+ soccer fields). Its beauty was immeasurable and not able to be captured in words or pictures either. It's definitely something you have to visit and see with your own eyes to understand the magnitude of the aesthetic quality. We headed out to St. Peter's Square where the tour guide gave us a rundown of the rituals and history behind the square where we stood. Afterwards, many of us went to a shop to buy Vatican souvenirs and then we had the rest of the afternoon to explore Rome. We headed back to the hotel that night and had a wrap-up celebration of the trip, laughing at all the memories and highlighting the best moments. We also spent some time expressing gratitude to our tour guides who helped us each day get the most out of our trip.

All in all the entire trip has been an eye opening experience for all of us. It's expanded our horizons and knowledge of the culture of Italy and made us appreciate their delicious pizza, pasta and gelato, the immense history and stories that lie behind the landmarks that are still standing as well as the amazing architecture and rich beauty of all of its cities and regions. At the same time this trip has humored us with what we take for granted in the States such as ice in our drinks, being able to communicate with everyone in English, free ketchup packets, cars yielding to pedestrians, free toilets that rise from the ground and so much more. On a more serious note, I think all of us were always in awe and enjoyed every second of this once in a lifetime opportunity, even if it was extremely draining and exhausting at times. It was all worth it. For many years to come we’ll look back at our college days and see this experience as a major chapter in our lives where we learned a lot, laughed a lot and enjoyed the company of our fellow teammates, coaches, teachers and parents.

When in Rome....

After our amazing win to cap an excellent 3-0 record in Italy we boarded the bus on Sunday to head to Rome for our final two days of the trip. We headed on the four hour bus trip through the scenic Tuscany Region. We arrived in Rome at 3pm and had a couple of hours to unpack before we headed into Rome for our walking tour with a local guide. First stop, the Colosseum, or as it is know to Romans, the . This is the hugest structure of its type in Ancient Rome, it took about ten years to build and was the centre of ancient Rome entertainment with gladiatorial and animal combats. Probably the top tourist attraction in Rome. We did not go in the Colosseum but some of us went in the next day, including myself. It was an amazing sight with part of the floor having been renovated. It actually held a Paul McCartney concert, invite only!

We then walked around the ancient city, stopping a the Roman Forum, the Piazza Venezia, the Trevi Fountain, the spanish steps and finally the Pantheon. Over the course of the two days everyone explored and went into some of these structures. They were truly amazing sights and the team was very impressed. On the Monday afternoon, our tour guide Antonella was able to get us a reservation for the Vatican, we were able to skip the 3 hour line, and got a guided tour with headsets around the Vatican. This to many was the highlight of the trip. My description would never do the Vatican and especially the Sistine Chapel and St. Peters Basilica justice, so all I ask is that if you get opportunity, visit this inspirational wonder of the world.

That night we celebrated our last night in Italy together in the hotel sharing our memories of the trip. We thanked our tour guides, Antonella and Stephania, and John and I thanked all the players for making this trip of a lifetime an experience that we will all never forget. I couldn't be prouder of my team and the men's team and I am truly blessed that I was given this opportunity. Now the hard work starts, roll on preseason next week!!

Mustangs Cap Comeback With Victory in Third International Game

Our last game in Italy
The view from our boat in La Cinque Terre
Meeting the Mayor
Standing on the famous bridge in Florence
The famous Leaning Tower of Pisa

Sorry. Due to some e-mail issues with my phone, I was not able to send through our stories about Florence on Saturday. We are now sitting in the airport waiting for our plane back to Rome, so here is an update on the last few days of our trip.

On Saturday, we woke up early and headed to Florence by bus which was the start of a long day. We started with an hour walking tour with a local guide. We began at the largest cathedral in Florence, the Duomo, which begun in 1392. Across from that was the Baptistry with the Gates of Paradise that are pure gold. They were designed by Brunelleschi. It was a beautiful sight.

We then walked to the square, the Piazza Vecchio, that had some famous statues. There was a copy of Michaelangelo's David and 12 other original statues. We then had free time to explore the city which started with a walk to the Ponte Vecchio. The bridge had very, very expensive, but beautiful jewelry shops. Some of us headed to Santa Croce afterwards which begun in 1294. It is the finest example of gothic architecture in Italy. Michaelangelo and Gailileo were both buried here.

Then we headed by bus to La Spezia where we met the President of the club. The club had arranged a special trip for our entire group. They had rented a boat to take us on a tour of La Cinque Terre which means the five lands, or counties to us. The boat ride was one of the highlights of the trip. The scenery was majestic. We stopped quickly at Porta Venere as the Mayor and President of the Port, Giovanni Pistone, wanted to meet our team and welcome us to the area.

We then headed around the coast viewing the terraces and houses on the cliffs before departing from the boat. We walked along the 'lovers walk' that was on the edge of the cliffs. We stopped for some pasta at a local restaurant with an amazing view of the ocean. During this trip, we had the local press join us to get our opinion on the area. They presented our faculty member, Chip Rouse, with some historical books of the town. A very nice gift.

After this, we then headed to our last game on foreign soil. We were so grateful and appreciative to the President of the club, Enrico Ghizolfi, for such a very generous gift. The girls were tired after a long day, but excited to play. We had got there late so we only had 10 minutes to warm-up before playing against La Spezia.

The field was hard and tough to play our passing game in the first half. We struggled to get into a rhythm as the referee was not in our favor. We went down to a bad goal and went into the break without a response. We had a great team talk at the half and just discussed that we should use that half as our warm-up and now we were going to take the game to them and give everything.

The girls came out on fire and after a sustained spell of pressure, Samantha Novy turned in the penalty box and scored with a sweet left foot shot, give her a goal in all three international games. Then came a great moment for Brittany Ross. Due to injuries, our goalkeeper had been playing forward on the trip. She has a lot of speed and had been causing problems every game for our opponents. Katie Decker swung in a beautiful corner kick which Brittany volleyed into the net for her first career goal. She was so happy she cried!

We then wrapped up the game when Kayla Curry played a nice ball to Heather Redding who laid it off for Jen Hartman to score her first career goal. Jen has converted into a forward from defense and played very well in every game.

It was a great comeback and really showed our strength. I was so proud of the girls for playing so well after such a long day. They truly played well as a team and I am really excited for the year ahead. A great day of sight-seeing and soccer!

Italy Through the Eyes of Captain Allison Humphries

Our trip to Italy has far exceeded my expectations. I came into this experience with enthusiasm and anticipation, but never expected to have such an amazing time. The scenery still seems surreal even after six days of sightseeing. We have been so fortunate to visit incredible places including Saint Mark's Square in Venice and the town of Pisa, famous for its leaning tower. Time has flown by, but I am truly looking forward to the last few days of our trip.

This has been a great bonding experience for us as a team. We have grown closer on and off the field as a result of our time together building relationships, learning about Italian culture and playing against local women's club teams. The welcoming atmosphere provided by our host teams has allowed for two fun and competitive games. We are all looking forward to playing our final game on Saturday.

I know that the conclusion of our journey to Italy is inevitable but we will always remember our time here and carry on the memories we have made through crazy stories and about a million pictures on Facebook.

Florence and the Leaning Tower of Pisa

On Friday, we finished up the first leg of our trip by leaving Venice and our beach resort for Florence and the Tuscany region. We had a long drive so we left early. Thankfully, everybody did a great job of packing and not forgetting anything.

We stopped at the Leaning Tower of Pisa after three hours before heading to our hotel in Montecatini Terme. The tower is just amazing along with the cathedral. The girls made sure they got plenty of the typical tourist photo with the hand or arm leaning against the tower. The boys and girls both got a great one with them pushing either side of the tower.

After spending some time at Pisa, we headed to our next hotel in Montecatini. This hotel is more authentic than our first one and the town is more like your typical Italian city, lots of cafes and a more community feeling. The food last night was very good, especially the pasta which is our first course at every meal.

Today, we are heading to Florence followed by a private boat trip to Cinque Terre and then we have our final game in La Spezia. The girls are all having a great time and they are really excited to visit the Vatican on Monday. Our tour guide Antonella worked her magic and we just found out we have reservations so we do not have to wait in line. These reservations for a tour guide and the headsets usually take months of advanced planning, but Antonella knows the right people.

Ciao!

Mustangs Impressive in 4-0 Win Over C.F. Sant'anna di Piove

Today was more like my home country Scotland than Italy. It was raining all day so it was perfect for catching up on some much needed sleep. Both teams went to the local market today in Chiogga and did a little shopping. Then the rest of the day was spent lounging at the hotel and enjoying a long siesta! For dinner, we had some of the local food ... pizza ... and it was some of the best pizza I have ever had.

Tonight, we played the second of three games on the trip against C.F. Sant'anna di Piove which was only 30 minutes away from the hotel. The stadium was huge, but we did not have the same crowd as the first game, only about 30 or so people.

The team we played against was older and they started brightly. We played some of the best soccer I have ever seen from our team. The field was wet and fast and that suited our style of play as the girls moved the ball around at speed. We created many chances but could not find the back of the net. Our fantastic play was finally rewarded just before the half as Kayla Curry blasted in a great low shot into the bottom left corner.

Our fitness then kicked in during the second half as we started to finish our chances and continued to dominate the game. We scored three more to win convincingly, 4-0! Sam Novy scored on a great individual effort and then added her second after a great through ball from Jess Celmer. Heather Redding added the fourth from close range.

Lauren Weitzman and Brittany Ross both played one half in goal and made many tough saves. The closest the other team came to scoring was late in the game off a corner, but once again, Lauren Bauer was on the line and cleared the danger. The defense was rock solid with Bauer, Brittany Bangert, Jenna Cimino, Taylor Zimmerman and Julie Dempsey all making sure we would not concede a goal.

Tomorrow we head for the leaning tower of Pisa and then to Florence.

PHOTOS FROM FIRST GAME VERSUS SALARA

Copy and paste these different links into a new internet window to see some photos from our first game:

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs214.snc4/39038_1509321184144_1567781593_31254137_8059580_n.jpg

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash2/hs133.ash2/39982_1509328584329_1567781593_31254218_2035516_n.jpg

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs149.snc4/36831_1509329464351_1567781593_31254230_6841816_n.jpg

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash2/hs133.ash2/39982_1509328504327_1567781593_31254216_2774481_n.jpg

VENICE

Today we woke up early as we headed to Venice for the day. We were all very tired as we got back at 2 a.m., the night before following our game, dinner after and the hour and a half trip back to the hotel.

We walked 45 minutes to the pier where we boarded the boat for Venice. It was another hour and a half journey, but the weather was really nice and it was an enjoyable ride.

When we arrived in Venice, we spent the first two hours on a walking tour with our guide Paulo. He was very informative and showed us all around, stopping at St. Mark's square, the many churches and the bridges. Venice is one of the most beautiful places I have ever been. The architecture and history is just astonishing.

After our tour the girls were free to explore on their own and several of them went on a gondola ride. It is so much better having no cars around. It was a beautiful day and after a lot of walking we left Venice at 5 p.m., for the boat trip back. I will be posting photos sometime soon and will make sure we have a compilation of photos for all the parents when we get back.

MUSTANGS WIN FIRST INTERNATIONAL GAME

On Tuesday, we played our first game against an Italian side. We left on the bus for the hour and a half journey to the field excited and ready to play. We were playing against GS Salara, with the city of Salara close by to the field. We did not realize how amazing this experience was going to be.

The coach, Fabio, was the only one that spoke English so the communication was a little tough, but he was very happy to meet us all. The field was really nice and they had a small stadium. The girls got ready and then we started warming up. They had a live band playing music before the game so it was a great atmosphere. We found out that this was the first female game to be played at this stadium so we were making a little bit of Italian history.

By the time game started, we had around 350 people watching the game. It was unbelievable. We started well and passed the ball around accurately against a quick team. We had several chances to score, but against the run of play, on a very dodgy offside call, they scored.

We bounced back well though as Samantha Novy scored from inside the box after a great turn. Our first international goal!!!

We started to dominate the game and later in the second half, Kayla Curry scored the game winner off a great corner from Katie Decker. We then held on for our first victory on foreign soil! It was great and we got a great round of applause from the huge crowd. The mayor of the city presented our team with a special plaque and we got great photos with the other team.

They then had the live band play music and we had the best homemade Italian meal with the both teams together. It was a great night and we were treated like superstars. It was a long day, but very rewarding.

Women's Soccer Team Arrives in Italy

FINALLY HERE!!!!!

So we finally landed in Italy yesterday after what seemed like days of traveling. It all started with an hour bus journey from Owings Mills to Dulles which was followed by a seven hour flight to Paris where everyone watched a lot of movies, played video games and some were more successful than others at getting sleep; Lauren Weitzman got six hours, I got none!!

We then had a four hour layover in Paris which was a struggle because it was 5 a.m., Paris time so it was bright and tough to find a comfy spot to sleep. The next flight to Venice was only an hour and a half so most of us slept.

After landing in Venice, we met our tour guide Antonella, who has been very helpful, and we finished the marathon journey with an hour bus trip to the hotel. The hotel is really nice, small beds, but the people here have been great. The beach is amazing, only five minutes away, and we also have a pool at the hotel.

We had our first practice yesterday afternoon just to keep everybody awake so we could adjust to the time over here. It was a shaky practice, but the girls worked hard considering the long journey and that it was hot.

We had a nice dinner at the hotel last night and celebrated a few birthdays on the men's side with some birthday cake. We did not want to be left out so we just told the hotel it was Kristin Giauque's birthday also so the hotel got her a little cake with a candle that would not blow out. We made sure to sing happy birthday to her and make her very embarrassed!!

Today, we just finished our pregame practice, then we have the beach or pool until 6:30 p.m. We play our first game tonight against Italian opponents followed by a dinner that is being hosted by the families of the Italian team and their coach so we are all excited for that. We will see what the conversation is like, but I do have my Italian dictionary!