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!

Mustangs Receive NSCAA Gold Team Ethics Award

The Stevenson women's soccer team was one of only nine teams in college soccer, NCAA Division I, II, III, NAIA or NJCAA, to receive the Gold Team Ethics Award from the National Soccer Coaches Association of America.

The award is the most prestigous honor handed out by the NSCAA and is given to those teams who complete the entire season without receiving either a yellow or red card.

I am extremely proud of my team for the way they play the game. We have accomplished so much in the way of wins and statistics, but this is truly a measure of this team's character and ability to play the game with honor amidst fierce competition.