News Release
Wheaton (Mass.) Women's Soccer Set to Tour Portugal from March 6-16
NORTON, MA- The Wheaton College women's soccer team will make its first international appearance during spring break, as the Lyons are set to travel through Portugal from March 6-16 while competing in three games against local teams.
Eleventh-year head coach Luis Reis, a Portugal native and a scout for his home country's women's national team, will take a contingent of players that includes the senior class, as the Lyons from the Class of 2008 take part in their final road trip.
Wheaton's three contests will all be against teams in the Campeonato Nacional Futebol Feminino de Portugal, the country's women's league. Game one will occur on Friday, as the Lyons oppose first-division member Odivelas Futebol Clube. The Blue and White takes on Beira Mar Atletico Clube de Almada, a second-division squad, on Sunday and completes its slate on Saturday, March 15, in Loures against second-division leader Uniao Desportiva Ponte Frielas.
During the trip, Wheaton will also take in a professional men's game and two international women's contests. This Sunday, the Lyons will attend a SuperLiga match at Lisbon's Estadio da Luz between host Sport Lisboa e Benfica and Uniao Desportiva de Leiria. The Blue and White also plans to see two contests in the Algarve Cup, a tournament for women's national teams annually played in Portugal. The United States opposes Norway on Monday, March 10, while two days later the host nation takes on an opponent to be determined.
Much of the remainder of the team's 11 days in Portugal will be spent touring the local cities, including Guincho, Lisbon, Sagres, Sintra and Vilamoura, and visiting tourist sites, such as Castelo de Silves and Costa do Sol.
Wheaton, which was ranked 12th in the final National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) poll, is coming off of a 22-1-1 season. The Lyons advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the eighth straight season, won their ninth consecutive New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) regular season title and corralled their seventh league tournament crown in eight years. Wheaton was 9-0 in NEWMAC play, as the Lyons' 88-game conference unbeaten streak is the second longest in NCAA soccer history.
Submitted 2008-03-05 10:03:06 by Wheaton College-MA Sports Information Department
