Juniata Men's Soccer in Costa Rica Day Three

By Nate Weick

 

On our third day in Costa Rica, we took the time to visit "La Escuela Finca de San Jose" and volunteer in the local community. First, we honored our respective countries with the playing of the American and Costa Rican national anthems. The four- to five-year-old students then put on a brief rendition of Pinocchio the musical with their own creative spin on it. This was a great way to demonstrate their creativity and excitement for us. We then split up into four groups to take the kindergarteners through a rotation of soccer-related activities including shooting, dribbling, passing, and running games. The game to practice running, for instance, was red light green light. The young students were entertained and had a blast going through each activity. Overall, this was a great opportunity for us to practice our Spanish and gain a sense of what it is like to grow up in Costa Rica.

 

After an energizing morning, we shifted our focus to the first of two friendly matches we will play on the trip. Today we played against the U20s of Deportivo Saprissa, a club which is widely regarded as one of the top academies in the country. With goals from sophomores Jayden Gaynor and Jacob Haynes, as well as an own goal assisted by junior Brandon Marzula, Juniata won the match 3-0. Success, as we all know, isn't just about the wins and losses. As exciting as the win was, we were more thrilled with the opportunity and spectacle of the match. It's not often that we get the chance to play the beautiful game together in another country.  

 

Tomorrow we will transition to our second of three locations in the trip at the Tilajari Rainforest in the afternoon after a whitewater rafting excursion in the morning.

 

¡Pura Vida!