The soccer program has now gone on four international tours. We have been to Ireland, France, Spain, and we just added Italy to that list. The NCAA allows a program to travel internationally as often as every third year and we have enthusiastically taken each opportunity for the past 6 years. We had 27 student-athletes and 21 parents, coaches, and supporters soak in what Florence, Rome, and the surrounding areas had to offer.
A writeup of the entire tour would take pages, so forgive me for simply offering bullet points of highlights:
- Seeing boys from the team seeking out Bottecelli’s “Birth of Venus” at the Uffizi Gallery in Florence because they had learned about it in art history—I love the liberal arts
- Our foggy Tuscan drive to Troghi for our 1st match (4-0 win) against ASD Vigor—CLICK FOR GAME HIGHLIGHTS
- Walking the winding cobblestone streets of Siena and seeing the boys take advice from the basketball team (they were there in May) by renting bicycles to tour Lucca—two absolute gems not to be missed
- Body surfing in the frigid Mediterranean Sea with a number of the boys on our half day in Viareggio
- Getting a police escort to and from the Bologna Stadium for the Derby dell'Appennino because they thought we were visiting Fiorentina fans—a game tying free kick for the home side in the 94th minute sent the stands into hysterics
- The boys physically moving a parked car to help our bus driver get around a tight corner—they seemingly park anywhere they want in Italy
- Rome—it is truly overwhelming feeling the history and taking in the sights
- The boys attempting to stream “Gladiator” on a hotel TV after visiting the Colosseum
- A group of six making the extra effort to get into Rome VERY early to see Pope Francis
- Our second match got a bit heated with ASD Tor Sapienza en-route to a 3-1 win—this included the most stereotypical sounding Italian rant and hand gestures from one of their defenders directed at our bench as he was being held back by his players
Let me know if you have interest in learning more about our next tour. We will likely pick the destination in early 2022 for a January 2023 tour. I have heard whispers from the frosh about Argentina, Egypt, and Germany as possible destinations. It would be amazing on multiple fronts to have alumni join us!
Lastly, mark your calendars for the Alumni Game which will be at 1pm on Sunday, April 19th in the Skalicky Dome.
OUR FAMILY vs. their team,
John Haws
Pictures from top left clockwise: Bridge over the Arno River in Florence with the Ponte Vecchio in the background, after our 4-0 win against ASD Vigor in Troghi, the Arch of Constantine adjacent to the Colosseum, the Spanish Steps, the Pantheon, the Bologna-Fiorentina Derby match