Last night we started off the pre-season on an excellent foot… a 1-0 win against a under-18 club team called Casi. Casi is the largest club system in Buenos Aires and a number of their players are currently in Beijing. The game was very even, and we had about 5 or so shots on goal. Maddie McQueeney tapped in the game winner off a feed from Lindsay McNamara on a fantastic offensive rush.
The real treat, though, was the post game social at the hockey clubhouse with the opposing team. The girls were so welcoming and nice, and spoke very fluent English (lucky for us!). We had funny, interesting, and informative conversations comparing our cultures, and obviously we exchanged names so we can friend them on Facebook (aka keep in touch). We also gave them small Bowdoin mementos to remember us by, which they really appreciated.
This morning, after a longer night of sleep, we trained with a top Casi player at a local field. The practice was very helpful, as we are beginning to work on the key pieces for our season- powerful shooting, defensive skills, and spacing.
We just returned from lunch at a unique local restaurant that lets you write on the walls. We think it may have been a set up, but Colby and Trinity recently visited Argentina, and had left their mark at the eatery. We simply wrote: Bowdoin Field Hockey 2007 National Champions. Enough said, right?
Tonight we are playing a team at the University of Buenos Aires… scores to come!
Bowdoin Field Hockey in Argentina 