Sept. 2, 2008

Thursday August 28
After a long day of classes and anxiously waiting for 3:00 p.m. to roll around, it was finally time to get on the bus. We packed all of our things, double-checking that everyone had their uniforms, cleats, and shin guards, and set off for Illinois. The trip was long, but we managed to stay occupied by watching movies and doing homework. With only a few hours left in the trip we stopped for dinner at Applebee's. Once we were reenergized from the food, we finished the last couple of hours and finally made it to the hotel. Before going to bed we had a team meeting in the coaches room and then group meetings to watch film. After such a long day we were all ready to get some sleep for the big game the next day.

Friday August 29
Game day! We started off the day with a good breakfast in the hotel and then headed to the practice fields. We warmed up, stretched, and went through some plays. We didn't play too hard though, because we had to face Pitt later that day. After our light practice we returned to the hotel to clean up. With the game time approaching we headed to Panera for a good meal. Panera's was a little crowded so a few of the girls went across the street to Bob Evans. Back at the hotel we had some down time before the game. Soon enough it was game time! We had a rough start to the game, but picked it up and scored two goals before halftime. The game wasn't over though. We came out in the second half and somehow managed to give up two goals. The game ended in a tie. With a quick break we stepped back on the field for overtime. We pressured Pitt tirelessly and in the second overtime put one in the back of the net! We were headed to the finals!! The parents set up dinner for us outside the fields, and after a nice cool down we all ate pizza, chips, fruit, and brownies. The team stayed to watch the first half of the Iowa State/Illinois game and then we left for the hotel. We were all exhausted and couldn't wait to get to bed.

Saturday August 30
Once again we woke up early for breakfast at the hotel and headed off to the practice fields. After a long warmup, we went through the new formation that we were going to play against Illinois the next day. Practice was light and easy, but just enough to loosen up our legs. Back at the hotel we showered and got ready for the day. First, we ate lunch at McAlister's. Some of the girls went with their families to hang out, while the rest of us went to the mall. A few girls, however, opted to go back to the hotel. At the mall we all split up into groups. We walked around the stores, bought some candy, and took hilarious pictures. Other groups actually went shopping and bought some cute clothes and shoes. Once our shopping experience was over we went outside expecting the bus to take us back to the hotel. Tania told us the bus was not coming and we had to walk. Everyone thought it was a joke, but we really had to walk back. After arguing and complaining we arrived at the hotel. It wasn't a bad walk at all. For the rest of the night we went to dinner at Olive Garden and came back to watch film. Later, the team rented a movie and watched it before bed.

Sunday August 31
Game Day! We got to sleep in a little and had breakfast at 10 a.m. Afterwards, we had some downtime in our rooms to get packed and ready for the game. Around noon we went downstairs to watch a short, motivational video before packing onto the bus. The game started off well. We were defending well and getting shots off in the attack. The game was scoreless at the half. Ten minutes into the second half, a questionable red card was given to one of our players and we were down a man for the rest of the game. We fought extremely hard and took it into overtime, but a good hit by one of their players into the side netting ended the game. Although the weekend didn't go exactly as planned, we felt good about ourselves and how we played. It was now time to get back on the bus and head to Dayton. First, we stopped at Panera and then took off. After a few movies and some singing in the back of the bus, we arrived home around 10:45 p.m. It had been a long weekend and we were all looking forward to having a nice day off on Monday with no classes.