Two teams. Four games. Nine days. Countless memories!
The Collège Sainte-Anne de Lachin girls soccer trip kicked off with an exciting plane ride from Montreal Airport to San Jose, Costa Rica where the team stayed for the first portion of their trip.
After a night of good rest, the U16 and U17 girls teams joined together to participate in a community service activity, working with children at a center that supports kids living in extreme poverty. It was quite humbling for the athletes to see how children in other countries live, and to spend a morning full of smiles and laughter with them.
Day 2 of the trip culminated in a transfer to the Costa Rican rainforest, where the teams soaked in natural hot springs after another team training activity. Dinner was served beneath the lush rainforest canopy, and the athletes enjoyed their evening of relaxation before the U16 team’s first friendly match.
The Collège Sainte-Anne de Lachin U16 team played incredibly well, and fought all the way down to the very last second of their first game. Although they did not take home the win against team Liberia, they didn’t make things easy on the Costa Rican team!
U17 had their first friendly match against Liberia on Day 5. They listened to the advice given by their younger teammates, and dominated the field, winning the game 2-1 despite the warm weather.
Both teams enjoyed a fun-filled catamaran tour through the ocean before the final two friendly matches. The U16 girls played hard, but were dominated in the first half by the Costa Rican team CODEA. In the second half, U16 scored a goal, which boosted their confidence and held the opponent from scoring again. U16 lost the match 4-1, and left the pitch with an entirely new selection of creative tactics and plays to use against their opponents back home in Montreal.
Day 8’s excursions included a walking trip around San Jose, where the girls checked out farmers markets, drank refreshing beverages straight from coconuts, and posed in front of infamous monuments. This was the perfect opportunity to shop for souvenirs to take home to their families!
As U17 took the field the next day against Costa Rica’s DIMAS, they knew they had a challenge ahead of them. The match was quite competitive, with U17 dominating from the start. They scored the first goal and blocked two incredible shots by DIMAS. The second half found both teams fighting hard, with several opportunities for each site do score. The game ended with a U17 win, and a positive note for the Collège Sainte-Anne de Lachin’s girls to end their trip on.
Costa Rica Soccer Tours was proud to have planned an exciting, well-rounded trip to Costa Rica for the Collège Sainte-Anne de Lachin girl’s soccer teams. Based on the photos, it’s clear the girls had a life-changing adventure!
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