Watching Liverpool v. Manchester United this morning on Kyle Douglas' computer
The bus ride to Cartago
La Basílica de los Ángeles de Cartago. Many "Ticos" (Costa Ricans) make an annual pilgrimage by foot called the "Romería¨ to this incredible church. We even saw people walking on their knees down the aisle toward the sanctuary which holds an amazing alter containing ¨La Negrita.¨
At the soccer Fello Meza stadium in Cartago…great view of the pitch!
The home team, Cartago, went down 1-0 when Limón converted a penalty kick early in the second half.
Cartago responded when fan favorite, ¨Chi Chi¨, scored in the run of play with 20 minutes remaining in the match.
LC soccer players (in Costa Rican national team jerseys) watch as the goal keeper for Limon takes a goal kick. The match ended in a 1-1 draw but it was incredibly exciting!
On our ninth day in Costa Rica, we awoke to a relaxing morning watching the Manchester-United vs. Liverpool game. Many of the athletes were up early to support their favorite teams. After the game we returned to familiar card games like BS and Kemps to further build our team chemistry. Exhausted from the many games earlier in the trip, many of the players sought solitude in their rooms for a midday nap before our 2 pm departure via el autobús to Cartago. Upon arrival to the Basilica de Los Angeles all of the athletes were in awe. The beauty of the church, combined with its cultural history, was astounding, and several of us took the opportunity to pray at the most famous church in the country. Immediately afterward, we found ourselves conversing with locals in line for the fountain of holy water where they could toss coins to incite good luck and blessings. Slightly delayed by the lengthy line for the fountain, we boarded the bus once again and headed to the Fello Meza Stadium to watch the Cartagan team face off against Limón. The stadium was packed with passionate and slightly rowdy fans who received police escorts out of the stadium on multiple occasions. Luckily, our seats were several sections away from the quarrels and police interventions. We quickly came to recognize the utter importance of soccer in the lives of many Costa Rican locals as their deafening cheers echoed throughout the stadium. At around the 60 minute mark, many of the LC boys joined the crowd of fans behind the net of the opposing team to offer their support for the Cartagans. A red card was awarded to the home team late in the game to the dismay of the fans. The game ended in a 1-1 draw despite many close scoring opportunities for the home team and the ardent support of all the fans as well as the LC pelicans. As the sun set and the full moon arose, the LC team returned to our hotel in Coronado and received a less on in macroeconomics delivered by Coach Murphy. With only one full day remaining of our trip, the players would like to thank Coach Bour, Coach Hutch, Coach Murphy, Coach Esper, the Fútbol Consultants organization, and all of our parents for helping to coordinate and send us on this incredible experience. This trip has created many life-long memories and brought the team together on an entirely new level. Although some of us will graduate this year, and some of us have not yet played for the varsity team, all of us have bonded over the game of soccer and its passion all around the world.
Richard Ochefije '15 and Ben Caccavale '14
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