This summer, the varsity boys’ and girls’ soccer teams took a two week trip to Europe. The varsity boys embarked on their two week journey on June 21. The varsity girls left for Europe on June 28. Both varsity teams traveled to Malaga, Spain and Lisbon, Portugal. They experienced different cultures and played some of the best teams their age

“The trip was the best experience of my life,” said junior soccer player Nicholas Gattuso. “Every day was a new adventure and I was able to create memories that will last forever with all of my friends.”

Both varsity teams played against big time clubs while overseas. “The teams played as well as expected against big time clubs with their full time commitment,” said Head Coach Mike Taylor. “The mental part of their game improved, learning how to deal with teams that are more skilled than they are and how to make adjustments to be able to win. The overseas experience benefitted the team because they learned to be with each other in stress situations and what it means to give and take.”

The team got lots of time to bond and become closer. “I went on the trip being friends with all of the juniors but I didn’t know any of the seniors,” said Gattuso. “I expected them to do their own thing and us juniors would stay together as a group. As the trip went along, I became friends with all of the seniors. They were all really funny and friendly. By the end of the trip we all became a family. Our team bonded great together and no one was ever left out.”

Coach Taylor said his favorite memory was seeing the players mix with other young players and teenagers from all over the world and seeing how they have all the same problems and opportunities.

“My favorite memory is when we took a day trip to Gibraltar which is just south of Spain,” said Gattuso. “At first, we were allowed to go around to all the shops in the town for about an hour and then met back to go to the Rock of Gibraltar. We took a lift to the top and as soon as we got off there were wild monkeys everywhere. Everyone took pictures with the monkeys, but not too close, and then we started to explore the rock. We went in a cave, a castle, and an old war tunnel that were all on the rock. We tracked how far we had walked and it was over ten miles. By the end of the day we were exhausted but we had to go down over 800 steps to get to the bottom. We raced down and at the bottom was a little store where we all bought drinks to quench our thirst. We had been in the 90 degree weather all day. After we all got a drink, we walked back to our bus and headed to the hotel while sharing memories.”