Costa Rica Trip Gives Women’s Soccer International Perspective
By: Sarah Punderson
The Philadelphia University women’s soccer team continued a time-honored tradition of traveling internationally every four years this summer, as Head Coach George Dunbar and his staff took the team to the Central American country of Costa Rica for a 10 day soccer adventure in late June. Dunbar’s wife Kim, along with two young daughters Avery, 4 and Olivia, 2 joined the team.
The Lady Rams joined a group of Stockton College women’s soccer players and coaches when they touched down in the capital, San Jose, and hopped on two charter buses complete with local tour guides to begin their journey.
After a day of acclimating to their new environment, PhilaU held a morning practice on June 28th and then made a stop at a children’s community center where they made donations and interacted with the local children. That night, the squad faced their toughest opponent of the trip- the Costa Rican National Team, falling 6-0.
Another practice and game followed the next day-as the team tied UCEM 1-1before Dunbar and his group took off for a long bus ride into the rain forest. Along the way, the teams stopped in the town of Sarchi to pick up some souvenirs from local vendors selling authentic crafts. That night, the team settled into their new home at the Tilajari Hotel in San Carolos, situated in the rain forest.
“CR was such an amazing experience for me and the team-not only did we bond but it made us realize how lucky we are to live in the U.S. and go to college. The memories and experiences from this trip will stay with me for a many years to come,” said senior midfielder/forward Natalie Vespe.
More soccer was in store on July 1st, but not before Assistant Coach Dana Kalmey and the tour guides led a group of the PhilaU girls on a hike to the La Fortuna Waterfall-which Kalmey had visited as a player in 2001.
“It was really interesting to come back years later and see what has changed,” said Kalmey. “Things are certainly more developed now.”
Later that evening, the team hit the pitch to face a team from San Carlos, with the game resulting in a 3-0 victory.
The PhilaU women next headed to the Guanacaste region, where they spent three days at the Flamingo Beach Hotel to get some rest and relaxation (along with daily training sessions). On their final day in Guanacaste, some of the players went on a rainforest canopy tour- swinging from tree to tree on cable lines high above the ground.
The team played one last game on July 5th, picking up a 2-0 win over Dimas after going on a walking tour of San Jose. They flew home the next day.
“Everyone had a good time and enjoyed the trip,” said Dunbar.
During Dunbar’s tenure as head coach, he has taken teams to Costa Rica twice (2002, 2010) and to Germany once (2006).
Two team members celebrated birthdays on the trip- sophomore midfielder Melissa Copeland and Coach Dunbar. For Copeland, it was her first time leaving the U.S.
“Leaving the country for the first time was something I will never forget,” said Copeland. “On our flight home I was looking out the window and realized how appreciative I am of my life back home.”
The team’s trip was fundraised by events like this upcoming weekend’s ‘Summer Beach Bash’, which will be held on Saturday (August 7th) on the beach in Ocean City, NJ between 11th-14th streets, which features over 100 girls 13U soccer teams playing in mini games.
The Lady Rams begin the 2010 season on Saturday (9/4) as they host Adelphi College at 12:00 p.m. at Ravenhill Field.
