Saturday, March 29, 2008

Ute Trip Lost Treasures #2: Passionate Fans

Passionate Fans
We're reliving our "dream trip" to South America last week. And we just have to show you a couple of moments from our visit to watch the San Lorenzo vs. Velez Sarsfield match on the first day of our trip. You may recall that the game was postponed when it was found out that a member of the Velez fan group was tragically shot to death a couple of miles from the San Lorenzo stadium. The fans had traveled in a convoy of about 40 buses and we had heard that someone had just fired randomly at the group of buses.

Both teams came out for the start of the game...and, as is tradition in Argentina, the home team's "entrada" (entrance) is accompanied by the throwing of the "papelitos" (little papers). We were given paper to throw...watch the scene as the San Lorenzo team enters the field...




Right after the papelitos were thrown, a small fire broke out in the section...watch as the fans scramble...not to put out the fire, but to save the signs they had carefully made for the game...






Of course, right after this, the game was canceled as the tragic news started to filter into the stadium. About 20 minutes later, the home team came out to do a light jog, stretch and run. Amazingly, the fans stayed and sang to their team...we have some video to show you, but need to trim it down as it is too large to download...we'll get this up as soon as we can...

Thursday, March 27, 2008

Utes Head To California Next Weekend

We are back to training after taking a couple of days off. Everyone is a bit sluggish mentally and physically after the big trip. However, it's important to keep working to improve and we are grinding through it. We have 3 weeks left before breaking for the summer and some important tests coming up with our spring games.

Next up, we are heading to California on April 5 and 6 to play in the Toyota College Classic.
It is one of our favorite events. Many college teams play in this event as well as some good youth teams. We have two good games out there...

On Saturday, April 5, we will face UC Santa Barbara at 3:00 P.M.
Then, on Sunday, April 6, we play Pepperdine at 9:00 A.M.

Should be fun as well as another opportunity for our players to develop...

Tuesday, March 25, 2008

Ute Trip Lost Treasures #1: Florida Ave. Shopping



Well, while we were in South America, we got LOTS of photos and videos that we just couldn't get up on the blog...not enough time...couldn't tell the story...so we will occasionally throw in some Lost Treasures

So, for our first Lost Treasure, we will revisit Florida Ave., the street shop scene in downtown Buenos Aires. Clothes, leathers, food, memorabilia...you name it...you can find it. Now, we have some great shoppers on our team...but Katy Reineke might be #1...Here is footage of Katy getting her first taste of Florida Ave. Enjoy!

Sunday, March 23, 2008

Home and Safe

We made it back in one piece today. The trip back was a bit hectic. We got to the Buenos Aires Airport at 5:30 P.M. in Argentina...the flight left at 9:30 P.M. We were supposed to land in Dallas at 6:00 A.M. ...Unfortunately, one of the passengers had a "medical emergency" (we think it was kidney stones)...and we landed in Panama City, Panama and stayed for close to 3 hours!!

We did not get to Dallas until after 10:oo A.M....of course we missed our flight to Salt Lake City.
Our group of 34 people was placed on 2 different flights...after some stand-by's and other movements, we think everyone made it.

The trip was great. The players have school in the morning...back to reality! We have lots of little notes, videos, photos and other gems to share and will be doing so...

The Utes will be back in action at the Temecula College Classic in Southern California on the weekend of April 5-6. We will face UC Santa Barbara at 3:00 P.M. on Saturday and Pepperdine at 9:00 A.M. on Sunday. Happy Easter!!

Finally, A Soccer Game


Immediately after our game on Friday, we jumped on the bus and headed across town to watch a game in the Primera Division...San Lorenzo vs. Arsenal. After our disappointment at not being able to see the San Lorenzo vs. Velez Sarsfield game on the previous weekend (and having to hear about the tragedy of a Velez fan being shot a few miles away on the way to the game), we were excited to see some top soccer.

On our way to the game, there was some nasty weather coming in...VERY dark clouds. We stopped the bus about half way and let the Rodericks out to take baby Rachel back to the hotel...and many of the players "chickened out" and jumped off the bus...the few die-hards headed to the Arsenal stadium as the rain started thumping down. We arrived and were escorted into a room to await the end of the reserve game and stay dry! Right before the first teams headed out, it stopped raining...Yes!

The game provided some interesting stories. Argentina has 20 teams in its Primera Division. There are two seasons ("Torneos") each year where each team plays each other once...an apetura ("opening"), which ended in December with an incredible Cinderella story as Lanus won the championship. And now we're in the 7th fecha (date) of the clausura ("closing") season. Arsenal is in 11th place and San Lorenzo is in 13th...but it is early and there is a lot of soccer yet to be played.

Last year, Arsenal won the Copa Sudamericana, which is like the UEFA Cup in Europe...not quite the Champions League...but for the next group of teams in each country. It was a great victory for this small club. Arsenal's coach Alfaro was the San Lorenzo coach a couple of years ago and got fired after some poor performances.

Well, as the game started the visiting sections of the stands were filled with San Lorenzo fans...and like the week before, they were singing in full force. And the home sections were empty as the local fans had gone home when the rains hit (many would come back as the game wore on). Here is a video of the fans getting ready for kickoff as we remind ourselves that we are now rooting for Arsenal as we are sitting in their section:


The game was exciting. It was hotly contested. The rains hit at halftime and things got wet during the second period. Alyssa Toomey always one to keep things interesting, kept us entertained at half-time by trying to catch rain drops! We have exclusive footage here at the blog...Check it out!





The game was on TV and we were pleasantly surprised to hear that we were shown several times during the game. We were also welcomed officially by the club at the half...Watch and listed to the announcer welcome us...a very nice gesture by our hosts....


sluglute



San Lorenzo won at the very end on a goal from a free kick that was whipped in from the wing and, after a scramble, tapped in the net. It was a great night of soccer. We ended by singing the San Lorenzo songs on the bus back to the hotel as the women's coaches from San Lo rode with us and taught us the words!

Saturday, March 22, 2008

More Post-Game Tidbits

We are getting ready to check out of the hotel and wanted to throw some tidbits in from the game yesterday(Friday). First, the San Lorenzo women's team didn't many hooligans available for our game as most were on the road, heading to the men's game at Arsenal that night. Check out our exclusive video of the small, but passionate group at our game:





We caught up with Erin Dalley after the game, who couldn't quite remember how her goal, Utah's 4th of the day, was scored:



Then she came to her senses and commented on the game and opponent:





And we have some post-game photos:

Friday, March 21, 2008

Utah 4 San Lorenzo 1 (Friday, March 21)

Game Report

Lineup:
Goalkeeper: Emalee Rogers (Amy Edman played the second half)
Defenders: Nicole Cardon, Amanda Sanchez, Christine Quinn, Jena Roberts
Midfielders: Kiley Jones, Kelly Iseib, Katy Reineke
Forwards: Lauren Hair, Erin Dalley, Jen Christoffers

Substitutions: Melissa Crespo, Addie Hair, Chelsea Card, Danielle Sample, Paola Marsenaro, Katie Brower

Did not play: Morgan Skeen, Alyssa Toomey (injured)

Goals:

13' Lauren Hair
37' San Lorenzo
45' Katy Reineke
79' Paola Marsenaro (Erin Dalley, Katy Reineke)
86' Erin Dalley (Chelsea Card, Paola Marsenaro)


The Utah women's soccer team ended their South American tour with a hard fought 4-1 win over Argentine 1st Division Club, San Lorenzo de Almagro, Friday afternoon. Katy Reineke scored the game-winner just one minute before half-time. And Paola Marsenaro and Erin Dalley scored late goals to break open a tight game. The game was very physical as five yellow cards where handed out. The Utes finished with three wins in three games on the tour and will head home on Sunday after the week-long trip.

The Utes scored first in the 13th minute when Lauren Hair corralled a miscleared ball at the top of the eighteen yard box and side-stepped a defender before slotting past the San Lorenzo goal keeper for a 1-0 lead. The score was nearly doubled three minutes later as a great Utah passing sequence started with Katy Reineke switching a long pass to Hair on the right wing. She dribbled to the end line, put on a nice move, and crossed the ball to Dalley who put it over an open net as the ball took a weird hop for her. Dalley put on a beautiful move in the 34th minute to free herself for a cross that Jen Christoffers headed over the goal.

The hosts tied the score in the 37th when a long shot was rifled towards Ute goalkeeper, Emalee Rogers, who made a fantastic effort to tip the ball off the post. Unfortunately, a San Lorenzo forward got to the rebound first and fired it into the net to make it 1-1. Katy Reineke seized momentum heading into half time as she scored on a beautiful curling shot with her right foot into the upper corner right to give the Utes a 2-1 lead at the break.

In the second half, both teams created chances and the outcome was not decided until late. In the 57th minute, Kelly Isleib broke down the San Lorenzo defense on a short free kick from outside the boss but shot over the bar. In the 67th, Reineke had a good look from a free kick at the top of the boss. In the 76th, Ute goalkeeper, Amy Edman, did well to come off her line and block a shot from 16 yards out after a Ute giveway in the back spelled trouble for the visitors.

Finally, the Utes got a cushion as Paola Marsenaro stuck home a rebound of her own shot in the 79th minute. The sequence started with Katy Reineke crossing the ball to Erin Dalley in the middle, who laid it down to Marsenaro. She ripped a hard shot that the goalkeeper parried. Finally, she got a hold of the rebound and slammed it home for the 3-1.

And Erin Dalley added some icing on the cake as she slipped home a slow rolling shot just past the San Lorenzo goalie and into the near post with just four minutes to go for the final score.

The game was played under international substitution rules with no re-entry.

Quote:
Rich Manning: "Today was a great test for our team. San Lorenzo had an impressive group of skillful and competitive players that really disrupted our rhythm. Our team had to deal with a strict referee and a lot of gamesmanship and, for the most part, I thought they dealt with it well. The result was in question for most of the second half at 2-1 and I was pleased to see the team keep pressing until we got the insurance goals late."

Ute Trip Rewind: Gaucho Day on the Ranch (Thursday, March 20)





We spent a morning drive from the city out to the ranch at San Vincennes. The day consisted of some horseback riding, a big lunch complete with traditional music and dance, and an exhibition of horse riding skills.

Many of the players, parents and coaches rode the horses. There were some unfortunate results! Amy Edman fell from her horse...although not injured, her shoe did get stuck in the saddle and she had to walk back to the ranch with only one shoe on. Our tour guide, Dario, had a scare when Paola Marsenaro's horse bit him in the knee. And, of course, everyone had a big laugh when Rich Manning was put on a mini-horse!

We then broke for lunch, which included of course....Meat and lots of it! Chicken, beef, chorizo...all you could eat. In addition, we heard some traditional songs and saw some traditional dances from the different regions of Argentina. Check out the drum and dance moves here.


We celebrated heartily the birthday of our own Kiley Jones...#22 for Kiles. And we headed outside to see a demonstration of Gaucho horse skills. Barrel turns, races, herding wild horses and more. Watch the horse race, which was used to decide land squabbles back in the day...



After returning to Buenos Aires city, we cleaned up and headed to the Puerto Madeiro region...which is right along the river and has recently been rebuilt with nice restaurants and shops. We went to El Faroccina del Mar for some Italian food. The group was excited to eat some pasta after so many meals with meat!

Ute Trip Rewind: Finally to the Beach and Back to Argentina


Well, after the game and barbecue hosted by the Uruguayan team yesterday. We headed to the beach. The players were very excited to finally get to work on their tans. They had been talking about it since we left Salt Lake City. A few of them played a pick up game of soccer in the sand with some local guys. Our tour guide, Dario Stawski, joined in and helped the girls kick some behind.

Dario has done a fantastic job of working to make this a once in a lifetime experience. Dario is from Argentina. However, he played college soccer in New York at Adelphi University. And he lived in Miami for five years after that. Thanks, Dario!

After the beach, we took the boat back to Buenos Aires. The weather turned ugly and the boat ride was very bumpy. We didn't get back to the hotel until 1:30 in the morning.

Thursday, March 20, 2008

Utes in Uruguay: Post-game reaction

We were able to catch up with some folks after the match today to get some reaction...First, we have senior Melissa Crespo's thoughts.



We also caught up with junior Katy Reineke and her father, Lawrence.

Utes in Uruguay: Now That is Some Hospitality!

After the game was over and a quick clean up, the team headed to CA River Plate, a local 1st Division club. The Uruguayan federation was very kind to hold a parillada, or BBQ. We went to the club meeting room and were greeted by the Uruguayan players, coaches, representatives of the federation and the staff of the River Plate club. The players sat at long tables across from each other and immediately hit it off. There was lots of laughing and joking, some trading of jerseys and back packs, etc. And some stories about life in each other's country. After a wonderful meal, Jorge Burgell, the president of the Uruguayan women's soccer federation, presented a uniform to our team and handed it to Paolo Marsenaro, our very own Uruguayan! He thanked us for the game and wished us well in the future. We had a traditional dessert, which had some citrus fruit covered with ice cream and pastry covering on the outside.

Then, Katie Brower, had to get up and do a dance as she had forgotten the soccer balls at the hotel before the first game. Katie got up to do her dance and asked for some music. Alyssa Toomey volunteered to help her out. Alyssa did her best imitation of Shakira and belted out "Hips Don't Lie" as she and Katie danced away! We have video footage of it all!

After dessert, both teams headed out to the field for some last photos and said "Ciao". We couldn't have had more gracious hosts!
Some other notes from the day:

Finally, A Home Game
The match marked only the third time ever that the Uruguayan women have hosted a game against a foreign team. The had greeted a select team from Venezuela and a club team from Argentina before this match. They were so excited to have the home game they made it a first-class affair. We played in the 2nd best stadium...and, in fact, almost got to play in the Centenario Stadium...the sight of the first World Cup...but a concert last week had ruined the field at the Centenario.

Training for the game
One of the most special things of the day was to see how seriously the Uruguayan team took the whole affair. They are in the middle of the summer break. Many of the players are working jobs. Their soccer clubs are not in season until April. So they trained for 5 weeks (on Monday, Wednesday and Friday evenings) just for this game.

Might As Well Help Out the Air Force Academy In My Spare Time
The Uruguayan coach, Alejandro Delatorre, has many hats to wear. He is a math teacher in the mornings. He coaches the women's team three evenings a week. And in his spare time, he coaches the Air Force Academy's university team on Tuesday and Thursday evenings. Busy guy!

Can You Spare Some Players?
Uruguay is definitely up against it, both on the men's and women's side of soccer, when it comes to competing with the powers in South America. Uruguay has a population of 3 million people...very similar to that of Utah. Contrast that with Brazil, which has 250 million, or Argentina, with over 38 million...might be an explanation of some of the challenges the Urugayans face in growing their women's program.

Paola's Big Day






Ute senior midfielder, Paola Marsenaro, had a day to remember (as did all of us). Paola was born in Uruguay but moved with her family to the U.S. at age 5 in 1988. She finally returned and got to play in front of her grandmother, cousins, and family friends who all shouted loudly each time she touched the ball. Paola has been hampered a bit by a knee strain suffered late last fall, but started the game and played about 65 minutes of good soccer.

After the game, she was warmly welcomed by the members of the Uruguay team....she was interviewed by the local newspaper and TV station. She met with family and friends and became the "bell of the ball". We have some photos and a video with Paola and her family.
OLE P!

Wednesday, March 19, 2008

Ute Tripe Rewind: Utah 3 Uruguay 1 (Wednesday, March 19)


The Utes defeated la "Seleccion" Uruguay, 3-1 today at el Estadio Charrua in Montevideo before an enthusiastic crowd of about 400 people today. We fell behind after an unfortunate own goal in the 5th minute and trailed at the half, 1-0. Erin Dalley scored two second half goals and Chelsea Card scored one as we rallied for the win. The game was well played. The setting was fantastic. The Uruguayan team played hard and skillfully. The crowd was appreciative...and....we won!


Game Report

Starting Lineup:
Goalkeeper: Emalee Rogers (Amy Edman played the second half)
Defenders: Melissa Crespo, Amanda Sanchez, Christine Quinn, Nicole Cardon
Midfielders: Kiley Jones, Kelly Isleib, Paola Marsenaro
Forwards: Jen Christoffers, Erin Dalley, Lauren Hair

Substitutions: Addie Hair, Katy Reineke, Jena Roberts, Chelsea Card, Katie Brower, Danielle Sample

Did not play: Morgan Skeen, Alyssa Toomey (injured)

Goals:
Uruguay -
5' (own goal)
Utah - 52' Erin Dalley (Katy Reineke)
65' Chelsea Card (Jen Christoffers)
75' Erin Dalley (Lauren Hair)

The Utah soccer team scored 3 goals in the second half to erase a halftime deficit and defeat the national team of Uruguay, 3-1, in the second game of its South American tour. The game was played before 400 fans at the Charrua Stadium in Montevideo. The game marked a homecoming for Ute senior midfielder, Paola Marsenaro, who was born in Uruguay but had not been back since she left in 1988 at the age of five. Paola and the Utes were cheered on by her grandmother and other relatives on a very emotional day.

The Utes got off to a rough start as a ball that was crossed into the middle of the penalty box caromed off Nicole Cardon and into the net for an own goal. The early setback seemed to throw Utah off of its rhythm for a while. In the 13th minute, Erin Dalley got behind the defense but her shot was saved by the Uruguayan goalkeeper. In the 21st minute, a dangerous ball was sent in by Uruguay from a free kick, but Emalee Rogers did well to grab it in a crowd.
One minute later, Jen Christoffers had a good crack from 25 yards out, but it was knocked out for a corner kick. The Utes trailed, 1-0, at the break.

The Utes started quickly after the break. Katy Reineke smashed a free kick off the post from 20 yards out just one minute into the half. And just two minutes later, Erin Dalley headed a Kelly Isleib free kick into the goalkeeper's arms. In the 52nd minute, the Utes broke through as Reineke send a ball behind the defense from the left side. Dalley latched onto it and pushed it past the onrushing 'keeper for a 1-1 tie.

Utah played much better in the second half than the first period and seemed to wear down the hosts as the game progressed. An opportunistic play by Jen Christoffers in the 65th minute broke the tie. Christoffers stole the ball from a Uruguayan defender about 30 yards from the hosts' goal and sent it into the penalty box for Chelsea Card. Card took to swipes at it. The first was blocked by a defender and the second crawled into the near post for a 2-1 Utah lead.

Just ten minutes later, some nifty work by Lauren Hair along the right wing led to a third goal. Hair received the ball with her back to goal, then turned a played a beautiful through pass to Erin Dalley. Dalley got to the ball and lofted it over the goalkeeper and into the roof of the net for a 3-1 lead.

The hosts did not give up and had two nice chances to close the gap. In the 86th minute, a forward got behind the defense only to shoot wide. And in the 88th, Ute 'keeper, Amy Edman, came off her line to block another shot from point-blank range. Marsenaro had a chance to score in front of her family, but hit a free kick over the bar in the final minute.

The game ended with both teams happy to get the competition in. Women's soccer is just catching on in Uruguay. The players are in the middle of summer break. They had trained for five weeks just to prepare for this game, which marked only the third time a team had come to play in their country.

QUOTES:
Coach Manning -
"What a special day for us! The game was very competitive and I was pleased with the way we finished the game. I thought we found a great rhythm throughout the second half and scored some very good goals. However, this was much more than a game for us. To see how important the game was for the Uruguay team...to have a home game is very rare for them... And to see how starved they are to improve their opportunities on the women's side..and to see how they welcomed Paola, their "sister" was unforgettable. We learned a lot about appreciating what we have here. And we are very motivated to help the Uruguayans to improve their team and the opportunities for women's soccer players in their country...truly unforgettable!"

Tuesday, March 18, 2008

Ute Trip Rewind: Uruguay, Soccer History and the Beach


It was a tough travel day as we had to get up at 6:30 in the morning to catch the ferry across the La Plata river. We got to Montevideo at about 11:00 A.M. and immediately got going on a city tour. The city is beautiful with great historical landmarks, government buildings, parks, friendly people and the coast line. We had a new tour guide, Monica, who was very patient with a hungry, tired group!

We saw some great monuments and sites. Here are several of the girls in front of the old Presidential House that is now just used for inaugurations and other ceremonies...From left to right: Danielle Sample, Jen Christoffers, Chelsea Card, Leslie Weeks, Paola Marsenaro, Laurel Roderick, Amanda Sanchez.

Then we headed to one of the most famous soccer stadiums in all of the world, El Centenario. The stadium was built in 1930 for the first-ever World Cup. Uruguay had won the Olympic soccer tournaments in both 1924 and 1928, so they were selected to host the first World Cup. The stadium used to hold 80,000 people...it was rebuilt and the capacity was reduced in 2001 for safety reasons. Uruguay won the first world cup, beating Argentina in the final, 4-2. We toured the World Cup museum there and saw some great artifacts. And the stadium is majestic, for sure.

After another quick bus ride, we drove to the coast, to Punto Gordo. Montevideo is very flat, and this area is the second highest point and gives a great view of the city. The players were excited to get to see the coast in person. And, after the game tomorrow, we will be heading back for some relaxation. Tomorrow's kickoff is at 10:30 A.M. as we will fact the national team from Uruguay. After the game, the Uruguayan team will host a lunch for us and we will again hang out in the city until catching the ferry back to Buenos Aires at night.

Ute Trip Rewind: Family Reunon in Montevideo (Tuesday, March 18)

Wow! What a great day. We got up VERY early and hit the 3-hour boat tour across the river to Montevideo, Uruguay. What a beautiful city! But the best part was watching the family reunion for our very own Paola Marsenaro. P was born in Uruguay, but has not been back since she was little. Today, she had her "abuela" (grandmother) and some cousins waiting at the hotel to meet her. Very emotional and heart-warming to see. P had seen her grandma once or twice in the U.S....but not back in Uruguay. We'll have more on this tomorrow as she lines up to play against her native country.




We have several parents, family members and friends traveling with us this week and it's great to share our adventures with some fantastic people. Scott and Kim Hair are with us...parents of Lauren and Addie. To the left we have the girls posing in front of the Congressional Building in Montevideo.

We also have Sharon Dalley with us. Here are Sharon and Erin in front of the old hotel in the main plaza in the city. For a long time, this was the tallest building in all of South America.














We also have Cara Toomey and her sister Shelly. Cara and Alyssa pose here in front of the ENORMOUS statue of the liberator, Artigas, on his horse.










Also, accompanying the group are Kathleen Quinn and her sister-in-law, Jennifer. We need to get a photo of Christine with her mom and aunt! And we have some parents who have joined us along the way...Frank and Debra Sanchez are here...as well as Lawrence Reineke and his wife, Luanne. Katy's sister, Anna, is also here along with a few of their close friends.

They have added much to our trip!

Monday, March 17, 2008

Ute Trip Rewind: Huracan Game Notes (Monday, March 17)


Well, today was a bit less hectic than the first two days, but none the less memorable. We started with a late morning of free time. Most of the players slept in then wandered on Avenida Florida a bit for some browsing and lunch. We left the hotel at 12:30 P.M. and arrived at the Huracan training center for the 2:15 P.M. kickoff. After the game, we headed back to the hotel. Several players and parents went to a Tango show and dinner (we'll try to get photos for that later!). Others hung out near Avenida Florida or took a taxi to La Recoleta for some coffee.

We talked about the game details earlier...now for some notes:

1. We forgot the game balls and cones at the hotel. Not a good way to start the game portion of our trip. We borrowed a couple from the generous opponents.

2. The game started about 20 minutes late as the referees were delayed as they were taking the train and it was a bit behind schedule.

3. After the line-up and "presentation" of both teams, the captains exchanged banners. Then, as is custom in Argentina, the squads walked down the line and shook hands...and, as is also custom, the Hurcan players kissed the cheeks of the Utes as they walked the line...we have exclusive footage of this local custom...of course, our players were a bit surprised by this and you can see some uncomfortable body language!




4. The ground was very hard and many players had only cleats with them...in this footage of our pregame talk/huddle...notice that Lauren Hair is quickly trying to borrow the flat shoes of Morgan Skeen. Morgan is coming off of ACL knee surgery last October and not yet cleared for games. As a precaution, she is warming up and training in flat shoes. Well, Lauren is busy negotiating with Morgan as Coach Manning is trying to get some last-minute instructions in...shows you how much the coach really knows what is going on! However, these two roommates show some good teamwork here!



5. There was a bit of illness going around. Freshman defender, Nicole Cardon, was probably hit the hardest. Nicole was up all night before the game. She started the game and was able to last about 35 minutes before having to come out. Nicole was reportedly resting comfortably and feeling a bit better on Monday evening.



6. We were really pleased to see Dr. Ron Asay and his wife at the game. Dr. Asay is a veteran of the Utah soccer scene as he coached with the Celtic Storm club. His daughter, Courtney was a form Utah state MVP at Mountain View High School and played for UVSC and BYU. The Asay's are serving as mission president in La Boca area and stopped by for the game. Great to see some old friends!

Ute Trip Rewind: San Telmo and a Big Dinner



Well, Sunday's whirlwind tour of Buenos Aires finished with a visit to the San Telmo section of town and a big flea market....

Here, Jena Roberts and Katy Reineke get their laughs by "kissing" the alpaca...interesting taste, girls!

We finished Sunday with a GREAT dinner at Rodizio...BUSY day!

Ute Trip Rewind: La Boca, El Caminito and the Tango






























After seeing La Bombanera stadium, we went just a few blocks to see El Caminito. El Caminito is the home of colorful streets and buildings, great music, the tango and some radical politics...oh, and a great flea market scene....Check out these colorful photos...(and notice that on the balcony, with Juan and Eva Peron...is Diego Maradona...now that is some high company to keep. Check out this Tango display on the sidewalks...!!

Ute Trip Rewind: La Boca y La Bombanera




They call it "La Bombanera"...which means "the Chocolate Box". And it is one of the chapels of soccer in all of the world. The Alberto J. Armando stadium is the home of the famous Boca Juniors club team. Boca Juniors are currently the South American club champions and the team on which Juan Ramon Riquelme currently plays...It is the club on which legends such as Gabriel Batistuta and others made famous.

The stadium was built in 1940 in the La Boca section in the south side of town. It was expanded just a few years ago to hold about 57,000 and is named after a former club president during the 1970's. The stadium is decorated in yellow and has murals and paintings by Perez Celis which are very colorful and depict famous players and moments. We went to the stadium and checked out the flavor as well as the museum...even the youngest Ute, 1-year-old Rachel Roderick enjoyed it!
Of course the most famous player associated with Boca Juniors is Diego Armando Maradona. Maradona played for Boca early in his career, before going to Europe. And then he returned at the end of his career and helped them win another championship. Maradona is beloved all over Argentina for winning the World Cup in 1986. However, he is especially important at La Boca. Here Jen Christoffers points to his special box he uses when he attends Boca Juniors home matches. It is lined with gold seats. When he attends, the fans sing songs thanking him for not forgetting them...a Boca Juniors game is a special experience. Unfortunately, they don't have a home game until next Sunday, after we leave. However, some of the parents are staying a bit longer and will get to see a game in the chocolate box!

Here is Coach Manning and his friend, Sue Moynihan paying homage to the statue of Diego Maradona inside the museum at the stadium.

News Flash: Utes defeat Huracán, 6-0

We´ll get back to the travel news later...but wanted to give you the information from today´s match as soon as we got back to the hotel...


We won today´s game, 6-0.

Starting lineup:
Gk: Amy Edman (Emalee Rogers played the second half)
Defense: Nicole Cardon, Jena Roberts, Christine Quinn, Kiley Jones
Midfield: Amanda Sanchez, Kelly Isleib, Katy Reineke
Forwards: Jen Christoffers, Erin Dalley, Lauren Hair

Substitutions:
Melissa Crespo, Danielle Sample, Chelea Card, Addie Hair, Paola Marsenaro, Katie Brower, Emaleee Rogers

Did not play: Morgan Skeen, Alyssa Toomey (injured)

Goals:
4´ Erin Dalley (Lauren Hair, Kelly Isleib)
23´ Erin Dalley (Nicole Cardon)
25´ Amanda Sanchez (Kelly Isleib)
34´ Jen Christoffers
50´ Lauren Hair (Katy Reineke, Chelsea Card)
78´ Jen Christoffers (Kiley Jones)


The Utah soccer team kicked off its tour of South America on Monday afternoon and rode a pair of early goals by Erin Dalley to a 6-0 victory over Argentine club team, Huracán. Goalkeepers Amy Edman and Emalee Rogers split time and shared the shutout. The game was played on a rough and hard field at the training facility of Huracán in the Bajo Flores area in the south part of Buenos Aires on a warm afternoon. The sidelines were jammed with coaches and young boys from the Huracán club who were shocked to see the speed of play from the American girls...There was also a small contingent of Ute parents and fans present to cheer on the visitors.

Dalley opened the scoring in the 4th minute as Kelly Isleib sent a long through ball to Lauren Hair on the right wing. Hair slipped a pass to Dalley in front of the goal as she slammed it home. Later, after a Huracán corner kick, the Utes countered quickly and freshman Nicole Cardon found Dalley on the left wing. She sidestepped a defender and calmly shot it past the onrushing goalkeeper to make it 2-0 in the 23rd minute.

Just two minutes later, it was 3-0. Kelly Isleib smashed a free kick off the crossbar from 25 yards out and Amanda Sanchez alertly pounced on the rebound for the score. And Jen Christoffers made it 4-0 in the 34th as the Utes had a comfortable lead at the half.

It was 5-0 just five minutes after the break after a nice Chelsea Card pass put Katy Reineke through on the left wing. Reineke hit a low cross to a wide-open Lauren Hair, who tapped it in.

Utah found a nice rhythm and were able to tire out the hosts, but missed a few chances to add to the score. Christoffers hit the post and Paola Marsenaro headed over the bar.

Finally, Christoffers got her second of the afternoon after a nice feed from Kiley Jones in the 78th minute to give the Utes their final margin of victory. All that remained was to try to preserve the shutout and goalkeeper Emalee Rogers did her part as she smothered a point blank shot in the 85th minute.

The Utes will travel to Montevideo in the morning and will face the national team from that country on Wednesday morning. It will be a special match for senior Paola Marsenaro, who hails from Uruguay and will have her grandmother and other family members present.



Quotes:
Rich Manning
- "It was truly a great environment and unique to play against an opponent with a different style. I thought we performed well under some unique travel and playing conditions. I was most pleased that we improved our passing and possession as the game wore on. The opponent gave a great effort and made it difficult for us, but I thought we were solid for the majority of the match. It was fun to be at a club, with all of the kids showing up as they arrived from school and so excited to be at the training facility and ready for practice. The young boys were watching and amazed to see the girls playing at such a good level. We are anticipating another great match on Wednesday."

Jen Christoffers -" I felt good in spite of the long travel. It was hard to play on the field as it was bumpy. It was different to play against a team from another country but they made it hard on us. It was rewarding to get some goals after the hard work we´ve put in over the last two months."

Ute Trip Rewind: La Recoleta


After training and back home for a quick shower and lunch...we headed to the bus with Lorena...our faithful tour guide for a trip around Buenos Aires city...our first stop was the Recoleta area. The area has a lot of restaurants, a great flea market on the park and the famous cemetery, where the beloved Eva Peron...Evita, is buried.

The cemetery was built for the wealthy and is made up of hundreds of mausoleums....most made of marble and beautiful stone....some made of brick and other materials. Each mausoleum has a stair case inside where the bodies of generations of families are kept. Evita was the husband of Argentine president, Juan Peron. She died at the age of 33 in 1952 from ovarian cancer. She is remembered as someone who championed the poor and disenfranchised and is a towering figure in Argentine culture, even today. She was buried in the "Duarte" family tomb, which was the name of her real father. Her father was very wealthy, but had two families and did not "participate" in the raising of Eva, who grew up and rose from extreme poverty.

Ute Trip Rewind: Training at San Lo


Our second day began with a training session conducted by the women's coaches for the San Lorenzo de Almagro club located in Buenos Aires. Led by Alejandro, the head coach, we had 3 coaches take us through some skills based training, which included and intense warm-up and some shooting and crossing drills.

It was a warm day, but the coaches were great to work with. The language issues was a lot of fun and through a loop into the training, but probably made us concentrate a bit more. Also, Paola Marsenaro, our native of Uruguay, helped with the translation...and quickly became a favorite of the San Lo staff! So, they asked for a picture with her...Buena, P!

We should note here that several of the players quickly developed a liking to a certain "hunk" of a coach...the goalie coach for San Lo...and many asked for pictures...leading the way was our "huera" (blondie), Chelsea Card...Buena, Chels????





Sunday, March 16, 2008

Training and Touring the Town (Sunday, March 16)

Well, we weren't sure if day one could be any busier and then we ran into day two! It was a full day that ended with all of us full in the belly from a wonderful dinner...Here is a brief re-cap followed by some entries in detail with photos and more...

1. Training at the San Lorenzo de Almagro complex with the women's coaches at that club...we worked on some skills and shooting. It was very hot but a fun workout.

2. Back to the hotel for a quick lunch and change.

3. City tour of Buenos Aires with stops at the Recoleta graveyard site of Evita Peron, the Boca Juniors soccer stadium (La Bombanera) and El Caminito area in Boca, the San Telmo shopping district, the government square....Plaza de Mayo...and the Pink House (Argentine equivalent of the White House).

4. Dinner and dessert at Rodizio restaurant along the Rio de la Plata!

Back to the hotel and preparing for a big day on Monday, with a 2:15 P.M. kickoff in our first match in which we'll face professional club Huracan. Then it's off to a big dinner and some of us will be going to a Tango lesson and show....AWESOME!

Saturday, March 15, 2008

Passion for your Team and the Tomahawk Chop

















Okay, your team has just run off the field and will not play a scheduled game that you have been waiting for all week. It's hot and you paid money for a ticket and now...no game! What do you do?

Well, if you are the fans of San Lorenzo, you stay in the stadium and when the team comes out for a jog, you go nuts and sing to them. Singing about winning the Copa Libertadores (the South American version of the Champions Leauge) and urging the team on to keep winning. For about 45 minutes after the cancellation, those folks were still here and still shouting and singing to at the top of their lungs. If you see the crowd photo, you'll notice the snapping of the arms while singing. This is an important part of the cheers and each fan has his or her own unique style...kind of like your own version of the Tomahawk Chop.

We took a couple of photos inside the stadium and went on our way for dinner.

We Went to a Futbol Game and a Pep Rally Broke Out

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Okay, we thought we were going to a very tightly contested match today in the Argentine Primera Dvision between hosts San Lorenzo de Almargo and visitor Velez Sarsfield (who are in first place right now). Amazingly, there are about 10 of the 20 teams in the Primera Division that hail from Buenos Aires...what passion and support for the sport of soccer!

We were met by Alejandro, the women's coach of San Lorenzo at the stadium in Buenos Aires. We went to the game a couple of hours early to check out the stadium and get some seats. We witnessed the community feeling of the club (the supporters were very nice to us), we met some of the members of the women's team that we will play on Friday, we saw the hanging of the signs, the throwing of the "papelitos" (little papers) at the "entrada" of the home team (the entrance), the singing of songs....a fire that broke out near us...the EXTREME agitation of the visiting team and, finally, the CANCELLATION of the match....ouch!

Tragically, it appears that a member of the Velez team's visiting supporters was injured or murdered on the way to the game (not too close to the stadium). And they were very upset by this and tried to break down the fence between their section and the field. If you look at the pictures...you'll see 1) the stadium, which holds about 40,000 people. 2) a San Lorenzo supporter climbing on barbed-wire fence to hang his sign. 3) The visiting section of the Velez supporters. 4) The fire that broke out underneath where the supporters were next to us in the stands. 5) The policia spraying the Velez fans with water in order to calm them down and escort them out of the stadium.

We were never in any danger, but it was said to see the joyous, passionate display of the love of soccer and one's community just destroyed in one small moment. We have some pretty amazing video and will try to get that posted.

Cankles?!!


Man, we heard that the travel might be a bit difficult...but this is ridiculous! Okay, so you've packed and rushed through airports..."slept" all night in a cramped airplane seat...and landed 10 hours later only to rush to the airport to get things sorted out...and you look down only to see these monstrous things at the bottom of your legs that used to be your ankles...

When your calves and ankles manage to look the same as they run together....that is called a cankle! (half calf and half ankle). Well, we've got 'em! Coaches, players and family members alike. We are recommending lots of water, rest, and some massage to get those things back under control! Thanks to freshman, Morgan Skeen, for modeling her cankle last night...hopefully we can all get rid of these hideous things. If you have suggestions, please comment below so we can get well!

Ute Trip Rewind: Downtown Buenos Aires















We arrived in downtown at El Gran Hotel Blue in Buenos Aires. Check out the photo of the players in front of the hotel!

We headed to Avenida Florida, just one block away in order to change money, get some lunch and check out the shops and street performers....a lot to take in. Legendary Ute shopper, Katy Reineke, was sizing up the shops in an effort to get a new purse during the week.

Again, we hope to have some video up as soon as we get the technical connections improved. For now, enjoy the photos of the hotel and the street that runs in front of it!