Augsburg's women's soccer team is sending daily diaries during the team's trip to Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany. Here's head coach Mike Navarre's diary entry for Saturday, May 15:
We lost 3-0 today. We played well but could not score; dominated the first half but left it down 1-0. We gave up two late goals. Although we'd prefer to win, we are pleased that the first two matches have been very competitive -- today's score did not reflect the closeness of the teams -- and the players are having a great time in Europe, marveling at the scenery and history.
Here's some thoughts on Friday's and Saturday's Auggie adventures from players Olivia Faison (FY, Minneapolis, Minn./South HS) and Kelsey Sorensen (FY, Eden Prairie, Minn.):
May 14:
This morning we had an early practice with a member of the Dutch national federation, Leo. The training gave us a lot of insight onto some of the most important aspects of the game. Leo explained the game of soccer as being extremely simple, and he reminded us of the three most important aspects of the sport: technique, insight and communication.
After practice, we had time to go back to the Walram hotel and shower before we headed to the
American World War II cemetery in Margraten. The cemetery had around 8,000 gravestones of American soldiers who were killed in World War II. Each of the tombstones has been adopted by a Dutch citizen, who pays a fee to keep the cemetery maintained. The cemetery is a highly visited place among Europeans and many students visit for school field trips. The cemetery had a tall remembrance tower, with a small chapel inside. The cemetery was very beautiful and showed a great appreciation towards America and those who served in the war.
Later, we went to the city of
Maastricht in Holland. We got to spend a few hours exploring the city's scenery and shops. The buildings and architecture are all older and rich with detail. From the cities we have visited so far, we have rarely seen any skyscrapers or modern architecture. It was a European holiday on Thursday, so the town was a lot more crowded than usual. There also was a carnival, similar to the ones in the United States, in the middle of the city. Due to the large amount of people, navigating the city was difficult. However, visiting Maastricht was one of the team's favorite attractions.
May 15:
This morning we had another training with Leo. He continues to emphasize the simplicity of the game as well as the three main objectives. The team was very grateful for his time spent with us. After our practice, Leo also went to coach
USC's women's team, which is also staying at the Walram hotel.
After practice we were able to explore Valkenburg for a few hours. We decided to spend our free time visiting
the castle ruins on top of a hill in the center of Valkenburg. The castle is a main tourist attraction of the city and many people were there. The castle was destroyed in the 17th century, but many of the castle's foundation is still standing. The sight from the top of the castle was amazing, as you could see the whole city and it's surroundings.
After our free time in the city we boarded the bus for an hour trip to Ospel, to play our next game. The Ospel club (RKSVO) had nice facilities with a few locker rooms and their own clubhouse. We had another tough game, putting up a tough fight, but still losing by three goals. Regardless of the outcome, we are learning a lot and growing as individuals and as a team.
Here is a diary entry from several women's soccer team members for Sunday, May 16:
We started off the day with a sunny drive off to
Tilburg, Holland. The day turned gorgeous for our 11 a.m. kickoff against SC T'Zand. The game ended in a 2-1 loss, with a second-half goal by the Auggies, a free kick by
Courtney Gamrath (SO, St. Michael, Minn./St. Michael-Albertville HS). They had two early goals in the first half, which we couldn't quite match, but we were happy with our effort.
We had a classic photo shoot at a Dutch windmill. Our evening was free and we either walked around or took naps before dinner at the hotel. After dinner, we went to a local pub. The team had fun playing at the attached playground and walking around the nearby castle. We then had a free low-key evening. We are heading early in the morning to Amsterdam and are super excited about it!
