HSU Women’s Soccer goes International

June 28, 2019 Macee Hall, Staff Writer

(ABILENE, Texas)–This month, the HSU women’s soccer team traversed four European countries to experience international soccer matches and share the love of Christ with young European soccer players. On their twelve-day excursion, the team not only watched five World Cup matches but also played two international games and participated in a local service project while in France.

Marcus Wood, head women’s soccer coach at HSU, says that the trip provided the team with “once in a lifetime memories,” and “shared experiences that would be tough to replicate.”

Throughout their trip, the team traveled to France, Italy, Switzerland, and Monaco. Wood says that the most memorable cities include Paris, Nice, Grenoble, Reims, and Eze, France, as well as Geneva, Switzerland, and Arona, Italy.

The first leg of the trip consisted of flights from DFW International Airport to London, England, and then from London to Milan, Italy. The team’s second day started in Stresa, Italy, and on the island of Isola Bella on Lake Maggiore. “It was gorgeous. Our hotel balcony opened to beautiful Lake Maggiore,” says Wood.

While traveling, the team watched five matches of the World Cup.

While traveling, the team watched five matches of the World Cup.

The team then traveled to Nice, France to watch the first of five World Cup games. The group sat on the 50-yard line, just three rows back from the action on the field. Since France was hosting Norway for the game, the entire stadium sold out. Wood claims that the stadium was booming, as the French citizens cheered on their home team.

The ladies then explored the city of Nice before traveling through the French Alps to Grenoble, where they played a friendly international match with a local team. HSU won 8-0. The following day, the group attended their second World Cup game of the trip between Canada and New Zealand.

On the seventh day of their trip, the team explored Monaco. While there, they visited the Royal Palace of Prince Albert, as well as the cathedral where Princess Grace Kelly was both married and buried.

After exploring Monaco, the team transferred to Paris to attend a third world cup game, this time while cheering on their own home team. The USA team triumphed over Chile 3-0, and many of our HSU Cowgirls were able to sit in the first row on this memorable occasion.

In Reims, the team attended a fourth World Cup match between Norway and South Korea, before participating in a community service project the following morning with local youths. After the service project, the Cowgirls took an afternoon and then the final day of their trip to explore Paris. The team saw such famous locations as the Louvre, Champs Elysses, and the Eiffel Tower. While in the city of lights, the team played their second international game of the trip. HSU won 1-0, and you can see the winning goal here.

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