The Keene State Women’s Soccer team spent their summer in Italy, traveling with their coaches and family throughout the country. Along the way, they traveled to archeological sites and played against local Italian teams.
The players first landed in Rome on June 21, departing the city for Pompeii to explore the ancient ruins. After the tour, the team travelled to the Amalfi Coast, spending the day at the UNESCO World Heritage Site. On the fourth day of the trip, the Owls got down to business and did some pregame training at a local soccer club in Naples, training with MP San Giorgio. After more sightseeing across the eastern coast of Italy, the team headed for the western coast to play the first of two matches against their local hosts.
The first match the Owls played came against local semi-professional team Calcio Fasano. The Owls buried Fasano, winning 3-0 with goals from senior midfielder Elizabeth Tschudin and senior midfielder Claire Halligan in the first half, and sophomore midfielder Mariella Tsisonis putting a third goal in the back of the net in the second half.
Senior defender Bryn Dickinson mentioned the post-game dinner with the Fasano players as the highlight of the trip. Despite a mutual language barrier, both the Owls and Fasano were able to enjoy each other’s company. “We knew no Italian, and they knew barely any English, but that was still the best part of the trip. We talked through Google Translate, and even though we couldn’t communicate in a normal way, that was still the best part of the whole trip.”
On the last day of the trip, the Owls played RES Donna Roma, coming out with a 2-0 win over the professional team. First-year forward Kylie Rapoza buried the first goal off of an assist from Tschudin. With the opportunity to go home with two clean sheets, the Owls prevented Roma from scoring through the second half. Sophomore forward Mikayla Ryan fired off a second goal to put Keene State up 2-0, where the score would stay until full time.
The trip was almost entirely planned and funded by the team, with little assistance from the Athletic Department. “I would say [we had] a minimal impact, the majority of the work is handled by the head coach and Lisa Johnson of [the Global Education Office],” Athletics Director Marty Testo said. “I mean, it has to be checked by us, it runs through us, it’s a school-sponsored event, but this trip is completely fundraised by them.”
Testo spoke positively about the impact the trip had on the team. “I think it’s unbelievable, absolutely unbelievable. It’s a trip that those women will never forget,” Testo said, “They got to see another part of the world, and they got to play their sport over there, that they have so much passion about. Just being able to spend that amount of time with each other can only be a positive for a team and its culture, moving forward.”
Frank LeBlanc can be contacted at
fleblanc@kscequinox.com
