Girls Update Day 3 & 4 From Coach Shaw

Hola!!We have arrived officially after a restless night-an ok sleep, well- jet lag not included.A mini tour of our town started with a special invite to watch the 1st team of Club Recreativo train (last year they were in La Liga and were relegated). Great learning opportunity, including pics with the pros and an olive branch to train at their practice facility. Quality... After dinner, we watched Arsenal fight back from 2 nil to draw Barca on tv. Big day tomorrow.150 kilometers through the hills of south Spain to the northern part of Portugal. White painted homes, a fantastic castle and a very interesting landscape--the history in this area hits you hard. On to the soccer....FC Serpa were our hosts in a wonderful setting - a quaint artificial turf facility, tight seating and some really supportive/friendly people. The 95s were up first, a nervy start for the older group who eventually took grip of the match and dominated possession, cruising to a 5 nil win with 5 different scorers...a very mature performance. The 96s played the last game of the day infront of a good crowd. They started out very strong and sprinted away with the match, out working and playing the hosts to a 6 nil result. Nice to see our group deal with the environment so well.In between matches both teams toured the historic city of Serpa and were spoiled by the hosts, wonderful meals, great new friends and a lifetime of memories.What will the next day bring....---------------Paul Shaw