San Antonio – The Trinity
women's soccer team took a memorable trip to Denmark and Sweden
over the summer.
From July 19-29, the Tigers, led by Head Coach Lance
Key and Assistant Coach Owen Collie, enjoyed the beauty of
Scandinavia, refined their soccer skills, and watched matches
between some of the best women's teams in the world.
Trinity's contingent flew from San Antonio to New
York, and on to Copenhagen, Denmark. The Tigers crossed to border
into Sweden to Malmö, where they observed the daily training
of local professional club Malmö FF.
The Tigers first of two matches of the trip occurred
in Halmstad, Sweden, against the club team Halma IS.
Kim Polasek scored the first goal of the
international match, and Emily Jorgens added
another a few minutes later. The Swedes, however, showed their
mettle by scoring two goals and tying the score at 2-all. But Kelsey Falcone
scored in the middle of the second half, as the Tigers were 1-0 on
Swedish soil!
The second match in Sweden also resulted in a victory
for our Tigers, as Trinity defeated AIK, a prominent club team, by
the score of 11-2. Jorgens and Falcone each recorded a hat trick,
with three goals each. Hannah Kuhl and Michelle
Lanier each accounted for two goals, while Maggie Olvera
contributed one.
The win was good birthday present for Coach Key!
Trinity's group traveled to Norrköping to attend
the UEFA Euro 2013 (European women's championship) semifinals
between Norway and Denmark. The match was tied at 1-1 after
regulation, but Norway prevailed 4-2 on penalty kicks.
The Tigers finished the UEFA tournament by attending
the championship match on July 28, in Solna, a municipality of
Stockholm. Germany, which had defeated host Sweden in the
semifinals, emerged as the champion with a 1-0 win over Norway. The
match-up was played in the 50,000-seat Friends Arena.
Of course, the entire excursion did not consist
entirely of soccer matches. There was plenty of time for
sightseeing and experiencing an amazing country. One of the Tigers
most unusual activities was playing the Landskrona Soccer Golf
Course! In Stockholm, our sojourners sampled "Swede-Mex" food, a
bit different from San Antonio's fabled culinary fare. A two-hour
boat tour of Stockholm was on the docket, and a walk around the
Queen's Residence. Tylösand Beach was quite an experience, as
the water was freezing! But all of the players agreed, nothing
could compare with the incomparable Baltic sunsets, a sight they
will long remember.
The finale of the trip began with a flight from
Stockholm to Amsterdam, and then to Minneapolis/St. Paul, before
the return to the Alamo City.
More details of the trip are available on blogspots
from Tiger players at trinitywomenssoccer.blogspot.com.
Trinity advanced to the NCAA Division III Playoffs
for the fourth consecutive season, in 2012, after winning the
team's fourth straight Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference
Championship. The Tigers won their opening game in the tournament
over the University of Puget Sound, but the team was eliminated by
Hardin-Simmons University in the next round. Trinity tied the game
2-2, but lost 7-6 in penalty kicks.
Coach Key has led Trinity to eight postseason
appearances and seven Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference
titles in his nine seasons with the Tigers. He is among the
national leaders in career winning percentage for active coaches in
Division III.
The Tigers open their 2013 campaign Friday, Aug. 30,
by hosting Luther College at 7 p.m. A rematch with Puget Sound is
slated for noon on Sunday, Sept. 1. Gå tigrar! (Go
Tigers, in Swedish!)
