Arrivederci Europe

Woke to thunder and lightning which delayed our departure to Como by two hours. After the rain cleared, though, we were in store for a beautiful day. In Como, we boarded a high speed boat to Bellagio, where we spent the day. We saw a few famous landmarks on our way, including George Clooney's villa and the location where a scene of Star Wars II was filmed.

Waiting on the high speed boat.

Upon our arrival, we were given free time to wander the city. We found many interesting shops nestled within the narrow alleyways of the mountainside resort. There were also several local eateries that delicious featured Italian cuisine. Many of us took this opportunity to get our last pizza, gelato, or cannoli. It was a great and relaxing way to spend our last full day in Europe. All of us our eagerly waiting to return home to our loving families and friends. There are some pretty cool gifts coming. 

Beautiful scenery of Lake Como.

This evening we had our final class and farewell dinner. We took our last quiz in the Coaches vs. Students challenge, with a winner take all result. We students are feeling extremely confident and impatiently waiting the outcome.

After class, the hotel treated us to an extra special dinner, topped off by an outrageously rich chocolate mousse. As we chatted at dinner, talk turned to returning to campus, our families and friends at home, fall academic schedules, the upcoming preseason training, and regular season contests. The team is looking forward to joining the incoming freshman and having the full squad together.

Team Captains for the 2011 Season are seniors Corey Howard, Eric Marcellino, and junior Bobby Jameson

Post dinner, we held a "Bear Bucks" auction, hosted by our Sky Sports reporters, Nick Starr and Alex Rosario. Every student (with "Bear Bucks" earned during the trip) selected a small souvenir, by which to remember the trip. Coach Dias and the newly named team captains presented Coach Sullivan with an Italian National Team soccer jersey which had been signed by the entire traveling party. He was also presented with a copy of one of our course textbooks, Soccernomics, signed by all the students. Coach Sullivan made a gracious speech, acknowledging not only the students, faculty, and coaches, but also the many people behind the scenes who have supported our trip.  He also spoke of the proud Golden Bear tradition and the importance of building on the achievements of those who came before us.

Among the many people who have supported our trip, special thanks go out to:

President of the University, Dr. Anthony Caprio

Vice President and Provost, Dr. Jerry Hirsch

Vice President and Dean of Students, Dr. Jeanne Hart-Steffes

Director of Athletics, Dr. Michael Theulen

Associate Director of Athletics, Cyndi Costanzo

Associate Director of Athletics, Joe Sassi

Director of Athletic Communications, Ken Cerino

Athletic Communications Assistant, Matt Pettinicchi

Assistant Men's Soccer Coach, Tim Larocca, who was unable to join us but held down the fort at home

Office Manager, Joanne Bovat, and Dave Proulx and the rest of the athletic department's administrative staff

The WNE Men's Soccer Alumni

Parents, Spouses and Children, Family, and Friends, whose sacrifices made this trip possible. 

WE MISS YOU MORE THAN YOU WILL EVER KNOW!!

We would like to thank those of you who have been following our travels. Those of us on the communications delegation have been proud to keep you informed of our adventures. We would also like to thank the many people in our traveling party who have contributed to this blog and helped make it possible, especially Nick Starr for his stellar photography.

John Walker, Nick Starr, and Mike Breault 

documenting the day's travels.

Your Bloggers, 

Mike Breault, Austin Santolini, Andy Tucker, and John Walker

Champions!

The morning started out with a breakfast class, in which we listened to our final presentations and starting tying the course all together. One more on ground class tomorrow before our farewell dinner.

Today was spent in Como, the hometown of our tour guide Elena. She graciously offered to show us around and for about an hour we learned about the history of the city and some of its buildings. Then we spent the afternoon discovering 

the hidden gems of Como and enjoying lunch at 

one of the many lakeside cafes. 

 

Some of the guys rented pedal boats and raced around a small inlet at the bottom of the lake. It was a great way to see some of the beautiful villas located along the lake shore. Dr's Pelosi and Walker were hoping to be treated to a gelato by George Clooney, who has a villa overlooking the lake. Some shopped for silk, which is a main industry of Como, while others stumbled upon a McDonald's and got a taste of home.

After rejoining the group, we headed back to the hotel to gear up for the final games of our trip. The final contest consisted of a three team tournament, The Golden Bears and two local soccer clubs.

Before the start of the first match, our own celebrity coach, Erin Sullivan, was interviewed by a local tv news reporter. In the first match, the Golden Bears came out strong with Alex Rosario scoring an early goal. After back and forth play, it turns out that was all the team needed to notch their first victory of the evening. 

In their second match, in front of a full house, the Golden Bears announced their presence with authority when Shawn DaCruz netted a beautiful goal. They then fortified their defense, ensuring a shutout and the victory. Sophomore Domenic Villano provided great leadership in the goal, making several crucial saves.

Post game there was a trophy presentation ceremony and Western New England walked away with the large first place cup. We have yet to determine how it will be returning to the States. The local club officials posed for photos and also provided a watermelon feast. This is the first WNE Soccer Team to leave Europe with a winning record (3-2-1). 

Upon our return to the hotel, we had dinner and then sadly said goodbye to our tour guide Elena, who unfortunately had to leave us a day early. We are looking forward to our last day in Europe before we head home and as we realized our trip was coming to a conclusion here are some of our thoughts...

THINGS WE MISS ABOUT THE UNITED STATES:

Dunkin Donuts

Breakfast with COLD milk

Smoke free stadiums (smoke free EVERYTHING)

Sports Center

Easy access laundry

American hairdryers

Free Wifi

Cell phones and texting

Our own beds (not changing hotels every night)

THINGS WE WILL MISS ABOUT EUROPE:

Masi and Elena (our tour guide and bus driver)

Speaking different languages (in some cases really badly)

Coffee with the coaches

Coach Lusignan's daily head counts

Exploring a new city every day

Coach Dias' singing

Sky Sports Broadcasts with A.J. and Nick

Andy Tucker's impressions

Environmental consciousness

Key master Steve Croft

Gelato

True Renaissance man and math wizard, Jim Mapes

Good pizza

Late night blog meetings with Mike Breault, Austin Santolini, Andy Tucker, and John Walker

Bike tours

Daily witticisms and dry humor from our trainer Mike Vallee

Each others company

On the Road Again...

7:00 AM. We woke to a fitness session on the hills of San Marino. After showers and breakfast we got on the bus to head to Milan. The first part of our trip was spent catching up on some much needed sleep, but after a quick rest stop, we spent time listening to several presentations on Romulus and Remus and the Founding of Rome, The Papacy, and Vatican City.

Coaches vs. Athletes: Round 3 results are in. The students pulled into the lead, winning this round by 0.6 points. The rest of the bus ride was spent playing cards or listening to the antics of our bus driver, Masi. (Yes soccer alumni, it's the same Masi you had in 2004 and 2008) 

 

We arrived in Milan just in time for lunch. The city was very quiet, as many of the locals are on holiday. According to our tour guide, Elena (yes, the same Elena as well), the month of August is the time when many Europeans head to the coast for vacation. After a quick lunch, we had a waking tour of the Sforza Castle and the Duomo. Both are very impressive and equally large. Many of us also spun on the mosaic bull on the floor of the Galleria. Local legend has it that if you spin 3 times on your heel you will return to Milan. Milan was the most metropolitan city of our visit, with many upscale shops. Many of the guys found gear at the Fans Shop for the home town teams of AC Milan and Inter Milan as well as other Italian teams such as Juventus and AS Roma. 

 

After our afternoon in Milan, we had a short bus ride to Como. We checked into our final hotel of the trip and got dinner before having a few hours to relax before bed.

On Top of the World

Our day began at 8:30 when we went for a short jog around the historical center of San Marino. We returned to the hotel for breakfast and showers before meeting our guide in the lobby for our walking tour. The tour took about an hour as we climbed up the small roads into the historical city. 




<-- Renaissance men Eric Marcelino, Nick Starr, and Andy Tucker blending in with the locals in San Marino.

San Marino is roughly 64 square kilometers, making it the oldest and smallest independent republic in the world.  The main city center, which includes the governmental buildings, is perched upon a mountainside and was not as crowded as the rest of Europe, so the city still had a relaxed atmosphere. The population is about 32,000 people. Our guide took us to a very scenic area of the city from where you could look out and see all the way to the Adriatic Coast. She also made a point of telling us that the San Marino National Soccer Team has only scored a single goal in the entire history of the program, however it was the fastest goal ever scored in international play, achieving their feat in 8 seconds. 

At the conclusion of the tour, we had several hours to continue exploring, get lunch, and do some shopping. Prices in San Marino can be much cheaper than in the more touristy parts of Italy, so many of us took advantage, buying souvenirs or gifts for friends and family back home.

After our free time, everyone piled on the bus and we headed to Sant'Angelo, where we met a local team to play our fourth match. 

The team we played was a highly technical team. They had a strong playmaker in the middle that gave the Bears a bunch of different looks. At the end of the game, the Italians bested the Golden Bears 4-0. It was a tough loss and they are looking to rebound in the tournament.

We headed back to our mountaintop hotel in San Marino for dinner after the match. The food on our trip has been spectacular. Post dinner we headed to bed in preparation of another big day tomorrow.

We Came. We Saw. We Blogged.

Everyone was grateful for a 9:00 wakeup call as we had a long day ahead of us. After breakfast, we checked out of the hotel and then had a quick bus ride to Vatican City. We met a local guide who led us on a walking tour, beginning with the Vatican Museum and ending in St Peter's Square. Luckily we had a reservation for our tour, because the line to get in was several hour long. We gratefully bypassed the long line and walked straight to the entrance, where we were subjected to metal detectors and x-ray machines.

Along the way we saw many of the important places in the Vatican. We were allowed to take pictures everywhere but the Sistine Chapel, as it is a place of worship and because camera flashes can damage the paintings. We also visited the biggest church in the world, St. Peter's Basilica. Inside the basilica, there is an alter that stands 100 feet tall (the size of a nine-story building), and it doesn't even come close to reaching the ceiling. 

The Pope was not in Vatican City but the guide pointed out his residence and the place where he addresses the pilgrims in the square. The Swiss guards, however are always in place, even when the Pope is away. 

Dr. Pelosi's excitement about seeing the Sistine Chapel for the first time was equal to Dr. Walker's (Chair of Sport Management) enthusiasm for the Roman Coliseum, which we saw yesterday.

After the tour we immediately got on the bus to head to Pesaro. Along the way we stopped to get lunch and when we got back on the bus we learned the results of round 2 of Coaches vs. Students. The students were able to squeeze out a narrow victory over the coaches, evening the score at 1. We then took our third quiz and listened to presentations on Ancient Rome and the Roman Coliseum, before having a little time to rest up before the game. 

Coaches' Pre-game Strategy Session on the Bus

We arrived in Pesaro and began to warm up for our third match and the team was ready to redeem themselves. They started off strong by possessing the ball and creating chances early. The Golden Bears capitalized half way through the first half on a great combination play that ended with Shawn Fitzpatrick placing the ball perfectly in the bottom left corner of the goal. Unfortunately the Italians, who were extremely technical, equalized in the final minutes of the first half. The second half began and the Italians capitalized on a second opportunity to take the lead 2-1. After back and forth play the Golden Bears finally drew even with less than 10 minutes to play. It was a great pass from Eric Marcelino to the outside midfielder, Ryan Mastalerz, who played a spectacular ball to the back post where Austin Santolini headed it home. The game ended soon there after in a tie which was an improved result but disappointing and will allow the Bears to build on their mistakes.

After the match, we headed five minutes into town to get dinner at a local restaurant. The mood was light as we munched on our salad and pizzas. One of Coach Sullivan's colleagues, a technical director for a local Italian soccer club, came to the game and stayed for dinner. The faculty and coaches enjoyed talking with him and learning more about the Italian Soccer Club system and the business of professional soccer in Italy. We are becoming more fluent in Italian and we have mastered some simple phrases like please and thank you, hello and goodbye, and let's go! The bus ride after dinner took us to San Marino where we checked into our hotel for the night. 

When in Rome...

Our day began with a 6:30 AM wakeup call (that's 12:30 AM ET for those of you keeping track back at home). After a quick breakfast, we loaded the bus and headed for Rome. Almost everyone fell back asleep on the bus but after a bathroom stop and some parking lot stretches, everyone was wide awake. Once we were back on the bus, we took our second quiz. In this round of Coaches vs Students, the coaches were penalized one point off their final average due to their, seemingly patterned, slight tardiness to group meetings. After the quiz we had six presentations on topics including DaVinci, Michelangelo, The Medici, and Galileo. 

Upon arrival in Rome, we had free time to explore and get lunch. Rome is much more of a city than Florence of Como, so though it was busy, there were still plenty of places to eat. Pasta and pizza seem to be the favorite dishes. 

After lunch, we had a guided walking tour of the ancient city. Taking about two hours, we saw many historic sights and some modern ones as well. We began at the Coliseum and the Arch of Constantine making our way throughout the city. Along the way we also saw the Pantheon and the Fountain of Four Rivers which are both magnificent.

After the tour, we climbed back on the bus and headed to the second soccer game of the trip. Played in Maccarese, we only had a short drive to get there.

We arrived to the facility around 6pm and began to warm up under the blazing Italian sun. After the teams exchanged banners, they lined up, and the game was underway. The Italian's were a Serie D semi professional team who were extremely technical and very aggressive. The game was full of intense tackles but somehow after great showmanship from the Italians they displayed their abilities to posses the ball in many ways. The match allowed us to employ the tactics from the Italian National Coach which was very beneficial and gave some close opportunities for the Bears to score. Though the Golden Bears maintained constant pressure, the Italians were to much, and with a late penalty kick in the second half the outcome was 2-0 in favor of the Italians. 

Departing after the game, we headed to our hotel to check in. After quick showers and clean clothes, we had dinner in the hotel restaurant just outside Rome. Tomorrow we get to see  Vatican City and play our third match.

Renaissance Men

After a late arrival to the Tuscany Inn last night, we had a few extra hours to sleep in. Wakeup call was 7:30 and after some light jogging we had breakfast and got back on the bus. We headed into Florence where we met a local guide who took us on a walking tour of the city center. As we walked the same streets as Leonardo, Michelangelo, and Raphael we saw the Cathedral of Florence, or Duomo, and its accompanying baptistry and bell tower. The streets were crowded and the weather was warm and sunny. Our tour guide also pointed out the Gates of Paradise, the Medici Palace, and the Statue of David.

We then had free time for lunch, shopping, and exploration. Corey Howard, who spent his last semester studying in Florence, pointed out some of his favorite haunts (he knows where to get the best pizza and gelato). Many of the guys also enjoyed bartering with the street vendors to pick up some gifts and souveniers. We reconvened as a group to tour the Uffizi. We actually saw some of the paintings we have been studying in the course which was very cool.

After the Uffizi, we boarded the bus for a quick trip to Coverciano, the Italian "Temple of Soccer." Here the guys were privileged to hold a training session on their field, which is not open to the public. The team trained with the director of coaching for the entire National Italian Program. He was very excited and eager to work with an American club and teach them different Italian strategies and tactics. The session was focused on defensive zone positioning, 1v1, and defending as a unit. One aspect the team found to be difficult was the language barrier. Thankfully one of our players, Alex Mazzella, was able to bridge the gap by interpreting the instructions of the Italian coach which helped the practice run smoothly. It was a great experience for the team to play and train in the same facility as the Italian National Soccer Team.

The bus ride back to the hotel was energetic and after brief showers we had a dinner of ravioli, chicken cacciatore, and gelato. Class was held post dinner and we discussed many of the things we saw that day. After class everyone relaxed in the hotel as we have another early wakeup call tomorrow.