WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. – For the third time in head men’s soccer coach Scott Kennell’s 11-year tenure, the Lycoming College men’s team will take a trip to Europe to play four matches, hold several training sessions and do a little sight-seeing overseas. Joining the men’s team for the first time will be the Joe Balduino-led women’s soccer squad, as the two teams will embark on an 11-day tour of Scotland, England and Ireland on Thursday, July 29 when they depart JFK International Airport for Europe.
To keep up with the teams’ travels through Great Britain and for updates during the trip, check out the Lycoming Soccer Blog.
The Warriors will travel through Thursday night and arrive in Edinburgh, Scotland before settling in at Stirling on Friday. On Saturday, July 31, the teams will prepare for their first games at Stirling University, with the men’s team facing off against the Star Hearts U-21 Champions at 3 p.m. and the women’s team facing Falkirk at the same time.
On Sunday, Aug. 1, the team’s will head to Edinburgh for sight-seeing, including a tour of the Edinburgh Castle as well as other landmarks such as the Royal Mile and Holyrood House, the Queen’s Edinburgh home. Later on Sunday, the teams will meet to watch the Celtic play the Arsenel at a local restaurant, getting a chance to take in the culture of a Scottish professional game.
On Monday, Aug. 2, the teams will travel from Scotland to England, stopping in the village of Ambleside-Grasmere for lunch before continuing on to Manchester. On Tuesday, Aug. 3, the teams will travel to Chester to prepare for their second game, with the men facing the Chester Nomads and the women facing pro team Chester City at 6:30 p.m.
On Wednesday, Aug. 4, the Warriors will take a tour of Old Trafford, the legendary home of the Manchester United before getting set for their third matches of the tour, as the men will face Garstang Football Club and the women will face pro team Preston North End at 6:30 p.m.
On Thursday, Aug. 5, the teams will travel through Wales, getting to take in several views of Medieval castles and to take a tour of the Conway Castle before crossing the Irish Sea to get set for their fourth and final matches of the tour in Dublin. The men will take on the Phoenix Football Club at 6:30 p.m. and the women will face Dublin Select at the same time.
The tour wraps up with more sightseeing, with a tour of Dublin and a pro game between St. Patrick and Drogheda United on Friday and a tour of the Kilkenny Castle on Saturday. On Sunday, the teams will return to the JFK International Airport.
The men’s soccer team went 11-7-1 overall in 2009. Kennell completed his 10th season at the helm of the program and won the 100th game of his career with a 6-2 decision against PSU-Berks on Oct. 5. The women’s soccer team finished 8-10-1 under the direction of third-year coach Balduino.