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Author Topic: Lady Cougar soccer team heading to Trinidad and Tobago  (Read 4755 times)

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Offline Tallman

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Lady Cougar soccer team heading to Trinidad and Tobago
« on: May 17, 2012, 04:56:28 AM »
Lady Cougar soccer team heading to Trinidad and Tobago
CofCsports.com


The College of Charleston women's soccer team and head coach Christian Michner are heading to Trinidad and Tobago this week for a 10-day trip that will give them a unique opportunity to immerse themselves in a new culture and play soccer internationally.

"We are all so excited about this amazing trip to Trinidad and Tobago," said Michner. "The staff and players have all worked extremely hard to turn this dream into reality. We are headed down for 10 days of training and games which we know will help prepare us for our fall season. We'll have a chance to go and experience so many cool things down there and I know that we will all take so much away from this trip."

The Cougars' 24-person travel party departs for the island country of Trinidad and Tobago on Thursday, May 17 and returns Sunday, May 27 after playing five international matches, engaging in community service and exploring the Caribbean nation's culture and landscape.

"This trip is a once-in-a-lifetime experience and I think it will surely bring the team closer together and help us prepare for the fall season," said midfielder Sarah Schaidle.

The Cougars can personally experience how the game of soccer transcends cultures when they go toe-to-toe with the Trinidad national team on two separate occasions. They will also face the U17 Trinidad national team, the Tobago team and a combined team of all the age levels in the national team's system.

"I can't wait to represent the College of Charleston and show the other national teams what we are all about," said midfielder Haley Hutchens.

"We've been training hard leading up to the trip and I'm excited to see how we can compete on an international level," said defender Swat Dash.

The trip has been in the works since Michner arrived at CofC and is the product of a lot of handwork and determination. It nearly met its demise when the NCAA voted to ban team international travel over the winter, but when the vote failed the Cougars underwent an intense fundraising campaign to see the dream realized.

Through an auction at a CofC baseball game, an iPad raffle and generous contributions from the players and several donors, the Cougars raised roughly $40,000 to fund their trek.

During the trip, the Cougars will work at a wildlife refuge to protect and restore the wildlife habitats of the country.

"It's going to feel great to give back to the community since they are welcoming us into their country," said forward Sarah Cardamone.

The squad will get a taste of what the country has to offer through daily sightseeing and touring activities, snorkeling and glass-bottom boat adventures.

"I am excited to immerse myself in a new culture and especially excited to try the crab curry," said midfielder Maryam Buazza.

"This is a great opportunity for us to experience a new culture and actually play somewhere most people will never even get a chance to visit," added goalkeeper Taylor Avery.

Fans can stay up to date on the team's activities along the way through their team blog and Twitter accounts which the players and staff will contribute to.

http://cofcwsoc.blogspot.com/
https://twitter.com/#!/CofCWSOC

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Offline maxg

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Re: Lady Cougar soccer team heading to Trinidad and Tobago
« Reply #1 on: May 17, 2012, 09:22:09 AM »
maybe we can get these girls to sgive a course on how to raise funds for practice games ?  ::)

Offline lefty

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Re: Lady Cougar soccer team heading to Trinidad and Tobago
« Reply #2 on: May 17, 2012, 09:32:56 AM »
for some "odd" reason thought they were older woman :D
I pity the fool....

Offline D.H.W

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Re: Lady Cougar soccer team heading to Trinidad and Tobago
« Reply #3 on: May 17, 2012, 09:38:59 AM »
Cougars ? really ?  :devil:
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Offline Sam

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Re: Lady Cougar soccer team heading to Trinidad and Tobago
« Reply #4 on: May 19, 2012, 09:25:00 AM »
Imagine how foreigners appreciate we country and de ones living they just f00cking it up...

They so excited to come to Trinidad...

Good luck ladies, be safe, Trinidad is not what it use to be.

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Offline Soccer 19

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Re: Lady Cougar soccer team heading to Trinidad and Tobago
« Reply #5 on: May 19, 2012, 11:57:43 AM »
Quote
Imagine how foreigners appreciate we country and de ones living they just f00cking it up...


Sam I am curious about the thought process on this comment. Can you expand on it ?

19


Offline maxg

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Re: Lady Cougar soccer team heading to Trinidad and Tobago
« Reply #6 on: May 20, 2012, 01:14:35 PM »
no explanation please, scores and report on the local teams will be more helpful..thanks

Offline D.H.W

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Re: Lady Cougar soccer team heading to Trinidad and Tobago
« Reply #7 on: May 20, 2012, 02:44:04 PM »
"The first half was a little shaky and we went down 1-0 in the middle of the half.  The Trindad National team was a group of girls and had a lot of experience and talent. It took half-time for our team to regroup and get on the same page, but we were finally able to get it together. With Victoria Fichman's amazing determination and Kate Twohig's amazing left foot we were able to equalize the game. Hallie, the sideline ref, was so excited she through her flag in the air, it was a pretty funny sight to see since we could all see the Trinidadians glaring at her. With only a minute left in the game, they were awarded a penalty kick, which resulted in a 2-1 loss. Although a disappointing result we were very excited with our accomplishments and efforts throughout the game. "

http://cofcwsoc.blogspot.com/2012/05/day-2-trinidad-tobago-with-junior-toni.html

DAY 1
http://cofcwsoc.blogspot.com/2012/05/day-1-trinidad-tobago-with-freshman.html

DAY 2
http://cofcwsoc.blogspot.com/2012/05/day-2-trinidad-tobago-with-junior-toni.html

DAY 3
http://cofcwsoc.blogspot.com/2012/05/day-3-trinidad-tobago-with-freshman.html
« Last Edit: May 20, 2012, 02:48:13 PM by D.H.W »
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Offline asylumseeker

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Re: Lady Cougar soccer team heading to Trinidad and Tobago
« Reply #8 on: May 20, 2012, 08:07:04 PM »
Cougars ? really ?  :devil:

Hilarious :).

Offline Raul

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Re: Lady Cougar soccer team heading to Trinidad and Tobago
« Reply #9 on: May 21, 2012, 07:27:49 AM »
Nice man Sean... Trini men doh stick...

"Originally we were supposed to spend the day island hopping with fellow C of C soccer player Sean De Silva."

 ;)

Offline D.H.W

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Re: Lady Cougar soccer team heading to Trinidad and Tobago
« Reply #10 on: May 21, 2012, 08:53:33 AM »
DAY 4
http://cofcwsoc.blogspot.com/2012/05/day-4-trinidad-tobago-with-junior.html

"We finally kicked off our first match at 2:30; 30 minutes past our initial game time.  Because of great age difference and playing experience, the Trinidad u17 national team’s speed of play didn’t compare to our team’s chemistry and ability to successfully move the ball across the pitch which helped us maintain a 1-0 lead throughout the game.  Our goal was scored off a direct free kick by Sarah Schaidle who found Haley Hutchens inside the box and tapped it in.


Our second game against the VFI club team SURPRISINGLY kicked off shortly after.  Although they were all women of our age and older, they too could not compare to our team’s speed of play and ability to move the ball.  We led the game 5-0.  I believe that the key to our success today was our timing and movement off the ball.  The first goal came from one of McCallie Jones’ flip throws.  The ball found its way to the top of the six where I flicked it over the defender and into the goalie, who slapped it back in front of Mauri Harrison. Mauri’s shot was blocked and I was there to get the rebound and put in the first goal.  I put away another goal before the end of the first half with an assist from McCallie.  The forth goal was scored by the one and only Kate Twohig.  She played a short corner with Alli Brashear who then played it back to Kate. Kate then curled the ball with her left foot into the left upper hand corner of the goal. "
« Last Edit: May 21, 2012, 08:56:50 AM by D.H.W »
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Offline Andre

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Re: Lady Cougar soccer team heading to Trinidad and Tobago
« Reply #11 on: May 23, 2012, 09:44:46 AM »
nice blog coverage of the trip.

i wonder how much maxi they need for the whole side and staff?

Offline Touches

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Re: Lady Cougar soccer team heading to Trinidad and Tobago
« Reply #12 on: May 23, 2012, 10:01:07 AM »
They reach day 6 and them girls get a real good opportunity

They seeing the islands, experiencing food and culture...whoever organize this did a real good job.

Why you cyar get more teams to come down here and have this right tru? Something to explore.




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Offline Tallman

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Re: Lady Cougar soccer team heading to Trinidad and Tobago
« Reply #13 on: May 23, 2012, 10:41:26 AM »
Why you cyar get more teams to come down here and have this right tru? Something to explore.

We missing out on sports tourism. We had teams like Newcastle, Dundee, NY Metrostars etc. come down for pre-season training before, but we just slack off since den.
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Offline Coop's

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Re: Lady Cougar soccer team heading to Trinidad and Tobago
« Reply #14 on: May 23, 2012, 10:54:28 AM »
They reach day 6 and them girls get a real good opportunity

They seeing the islands, experiencing food and culture...whoever organize this did a real good job.

Why you cyar get more teams to come down here and have this right tru? Something to explore.



       It have teams does come to T&T just like that but they don't get the hype this one got,recently Earl Carter and Richard Chinapoo brought teams to T&T so it's something been always explored.

      From the knowledge i have it's a little bit more difficult and hassle for especially American teams to travel and play outside the US,security is the major issue. 

Offline D.H.W

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Offline Flex

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Re: Lady Cougar soccer team heading to Trinidad and Tobago
« Reply #17 on: May 24, 2012, 09:31:09 PM »
Glad to see they did a joint session with our girls...hopefully a player or two can get an opportunity with the College of Charleston after this :beermug:

Offline Errol

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Re: Lady Cougar soccer team heading to Trinidad and Tobago
« Reply #18 on: June 17, 2012, 06:15:00 AM »
Would have liked to see more photos ?


Offline Flex

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Re: Lady Cougar soccer team heading to Trinidad and Tobago
« Reply #19 on: July 15, 2012, 08:27:18 AM »
College of Charleston Women’s Soccer returns from T&T.
Beach Carolina Magazine.


This summer, the College of Charleston women’s soccer team enjoyed the remarkable opportunity to visit the island nation of Trinidad and Tobago to engage in exploration, team building, international fellowship, community outreach and, of course, the culturally-transcending game of soccer.

The once-in-a-lifetime trip sculpted the perspectives of the Cougars’ 24-person travel party as they explored the country’s diverse landscape and culture for 10 days and united as a team on a previously unknown level.

“This was an unbelievable trip for us,” said head coach Christian Michner. “It was a chance for us to really get away and play some great games and do some things together as a group. The trip was way more than just soccer. We experienced so much down there.”

The Cougars challenged their comfort zones as they explored a foreign landscape and met a culture they’d never been exposed to before. The team also worked at a wildlife refuge to protect and restore the wildlife habitats of the country.

“A lot of them had never spoken to an American before,” said Cougar forward McCallie Jones. “I met someone on the boat who had never even spoken to someone outside of Trinidad and Tobago before, so it was cool bringing them that culture and being the first person for them to talk to.”

“Everyone over there was so welcoming and genuinely excited to have us,” said Toni Schneider, a senior defender on the 2012 Cougars. “All the people who met us from our hosts to our drivers were incredibly unique and amazing to be around. Seeing the sea turtles nest and working to improve the habitats of the nation’s wildlife was also an impactful piece to take away from this experience.”

Though the natives and their new visitors were initially foreign to each other, both parties quickly realized they were united by their love for the universal sport.

“Everyone’s eyes lit up when we told them we played soccer,” said rising senior Maryam Buazza. “They immediately wanted to come out and actually see us play which you don’t get that often here in the U.S. with women’s soccer. Over there, soccer is soccer and they just want to see you play. That was awesome to experience.”

The team played seven games against the Trinidad and Tobago full national team, their U17 national team and several semi-professional city teams. The Cougar teammates quickly understood they were doing much more than kicking a ball around or comparing their talents on an international level, however.

The trip was an opportunity for these student-athletes to truly come to know each other away from the comforts of home and their other friends around the College community. This reliance on team and unity will remain with the players as they prepare for the 2012 fall season and beyond.

“This trip was a huge deal for us,” said Jones, “especially with our chemistry, because some of the soccer there wasn’t our best but as far as the team goes, we now all understand what we need to do together this season to accomplish our goals.”

Perhaps the most lasting takeaway from the experience will be the bridging of two distinct cultures. Serving as ambassadors for their country and their College, the Cougars took themselves out of their element and away from their familiarity to see another part of the world and provide the Trinidadian and Tobagonian people with their first glimpses – at least for some – of a foreign culture.

“We knew going down there that we weren’t just representing ourselves or our program,” said Michner. “We were representing the College of Charleston and honestly, we were even representing America. A lot of the people’s perceptions and what they will take away of Americans and, for us, for the College of Charleston is how we’d behave and hold ourselves accountable.

“It goes to show you how mature these young ladies are and the responsibility they have at such a young age. Even at 18 or 19 years old, they have a great sense of responsibility and a lot of the things they are doing will prepare them for life five years from now, 10 years from now or 40 years from now. They did a tremendous job so it makes it a real pleasure to coach these young ladies and coach at the College of Charleston.”

Now back on American soil, the CofC women’s soccer team is preparing for its 20th season of competition which begins on Saturday, Aug. 11 with an exhibition match against 2011 national semifinalist Wake Forest at Patriots Point.

VIDEO - T&T Trip.

The real measure of a man's character is what he would do if he knew he would never be found out.

 

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