March 14, 2011
WASHINGTON - The Georgetown University women's soccer team is spending its Spring Break in Brazil, touring parts of the country, playing soccer and watching some professional games. Throughout the trip, members of the team will provide updates from Brazil. The next installment comes from sophomore defender Christina O'Tousa (Newport Beach, Calif./Newport Harbor).
Friday, March 11, 2011
"Today we woke up at 6:30 a.m. We didn't mind that it was so early because we were eager to play the reigning Brazilian champions, Vasco da Gama. When we arrived at their field and began to warm up, the other team was still hiding in their locker room. We baked in the scorching sun and humidity as we waited for them. As with everything in Brazil, the players were behind schedule and winded up taking the pitch about an hour after the planned game time. To prove that they were taking us Americans seriously, they only took about 5 minutes to warm up until they were ready to play. The Brazilian style of soccer was difficult to adjust to, but early into the first half both Kelly (D'Ambrisi) and Kaitlin (Brenn) scored and put us into the lead, 2-0. Towards the end of the half Vasco de Gama scored their first goal of the match. After halftime, the tricky Brazilians scored two more goals to take the lead. Luckily, a header by Kailey (Blain) allowed us to tie it up again, 3-3. With five minutes left in the game, a Brazilian player drew a foul in the box and finished off a penalty kick. We were sad about the unfortunate outcome of the game but grateful to have such a competitive match. A yellow card from Ingrid (Wells) and two yellows from Kailey were proof that the game was a real battle.
"After the game, we returned to the hotel to shower and get lunch nearby. Next, we went to see Brazil's most famous monument, the Christ the Redeemer statue. Our tour guide informed us that the monument also existed as a compass, facing east and his outstretched arms pointing north and south. A train starting at the bottom of the mountain took us up through the eerie layer of fog that surrounded the peak. The mist, which resembled more closely something from a Disneyland ride, gave the enormous stone Jesus an uncanny aura. Cheers erupted from the crowd every time the fog cleared enough to see Jesus's face. `Why couldn't this have been the weather for our game this morning?' we wondered.
"After we were satisfied with the number of photos we had captured of the impressive statue, we headed straight to the local market. Jewelry, artwork, bathing suits and t-shirts were the favorite tourist items being displayed. This shopping excursion gave us plenty opportunity to practice our bargaining skills. Though we were sad to leave the enticing goods at the market so soon, we had to catch our reservations at a Brazilian BBQ-style restaurant. Waiters came around time with skewers of every kind of meat and we took the opportunity to practice some of the basic Portuguese we had learned, like "sim" or "não obrigada." Those of us with a sweet tooth appreciated the caramelized bananas for dessert. After dinner we scurried back to the hotel to pack up our bags since we were leaving the next day. We made sure to get plenty of sleep before our game against the Brazilian Marine Corps women's soccer team, who were trying to prepare for their Military World Cup."
