Photo Gallery
After 10 days and eight nights in Spain, LVC men's soccer has returned to Annville to continue preparations for the fall 2011 season. The cities of Barcelona and Valencia provided the team with outstanding opportunities and an experience that will not soon be forgotten. The competition and level of play was excellent, as we picked up two wins against top regional teams and, despite losing, gained valuable experience against a team that just last year was playing in the Spanish 2nd Division. The team enjoyed soaking in the passion of Spanish soccer in every way, shape, and form. We were able to attend two top level matches (Barca v Espanyol and Valencia v Roma) and learn through watching some of the best players in the world perform right in front of us. A team training session with coaches from FC Barcelona gave us an inside peak into how the best club team in the world views the beautiful game.
The beautiful beaches of the Mediterranean and mountains of the countryside, along with the architecture of the cities provided for many great sightseeing photos. We enjoyed many great meals as well as time spent together.
Overall, we thoroughly enjoyed our time in Spain. We look forward to the fall season and want to thank each of you for your support of Lebanon Valley College men's soccer.
- Coach Grimes
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Today was the last full day in Spain, but a classic day nonetheless. We left the Barcelo Sants Hotel around 11am embarking on a roughly forty minute bus ride to Sitges. The natural and architectural beauty of the coves of beaches and the tight, but quant, streets of Sitges worked together to create the perfect vacation destination. We had a full five hours of free time to enjoy the beaches, the town, as well as have lunch at any of the small restaurants that dotted the beach side. The team enjoyed playing volleyball and soccer along the beach and, of course, swimming. The day was capped off by playing our final game, which was also in the town of Sitges. The game kicked off at 7pm and was hard-fought from the start. We limited the opportunities of the other side and broke through the tight opposing defense successfully multiple times thus achieving a 2-1 victory. Similarly, LVC has concluded the tour with two wins and one loss. After the game, we enjoyed some pizza at the stadium before heading back to the hotel for the night. Tomorrow the team has the pleasure of a return transatlantic flight (hopefully the pilot can remember all of his equipment this time).
- John Wagaman
Monday, August 15, 2011
Today we were able to take a much needed morning to sleep in, or casually walk around the city. As a team we were treated to lunch by coach grimes in Barcelona’s city center, and had some of Spain's most popular dishes such as paella and flan. We then walked around the city and visited some local shops and vendors, and attempted to negotiate bargains. Many times we could get items lowered to half price or more! While walking through las Ramblas, we witnessed firsthand some of the famous architecture and culture of the city of Barcelona including a famous cathedral called la Sagrada Familia. We then visited the beach to relax and play a few games of beach volleyball. After working up an appetite, the team visited our favorite restaurant near the hotel to "fill up the tank" so we are ready for another full day tomorrow.
- Brendan Steele
Sunday, August 14, 2011
Today was the first day the team was able to sleep in and catch up on a little bit of sleep after having to wake up early the past few days. Some members of the team chose to relax back at the hotel while Coach Grimes took a group of boys to the beach. We began the beach trip with a little bit of beach soccer, working up a sweat, before being refreshed by the cool water of the Mediterranean Sea. To our amazement the water was clear as day and we were able to see the bottom of the sea which was deeper than excepted. Coach Grimes found that out the hard way when attempting to swim to the bottom of the sea, but felt like he was swimming for days. At the conclusion of our trip to the beach we found ourselves yet again searching for an open store to find food for lunch. It was now time for us to relax for an hour or two before departing for Las Ramblas. This site consisted of numerous shops, restaurants, street shows, and beautiful scenery. After walking the streets of Las Ramblas for two hours we made our way to Bobby's Free Bar where we ordered pizza and enjoyed the night life environment of a Spanish League rivalry between Barcelona vs. Real Madrid. Both sides are still trying to reach their top performance level before the start of their season which resulted in a sloppy game but was filled with goals. The final score was 2-2. We took the metro back to the hotel and many wanted to catch up on some rest from the previous night while others went out to enjoy the night life. Tomorrow we will be able to sleep in and then enjoy a tour of the city and shopping in the afternoon.
- Kelly Hess and Stephen Simonian
Saturday, August 13, 2011
Today, our fifth day in Spain, we woke up early in Valencia to prepare for our second match of the trip. After breakfast at the hotel, we hopped on our bus and were on our way to the 10:00 match. We started out the game very slowly and found ourselves in an early 1-0 hole. A goal by Andy Suprock tied the game up and it remained 1-1 going into halftime. At halftime, our coaches pointed out various things we could improve on, and we executed these much better in the 2nd half. Goals by Andy Suprock, Andrew Cooper, and John Wagaman spurred us on to a 4-2 victory. It felt great to get our first win in Spain. Following our game, we headed to Valencia's stadium, La Mestalla, for a tour. We were able to see the press room, locker room, and much more on the tour. Also, we were able to stand right next to the field and get some great pictures. After the tour, we headed to the beach in Valencia where we ate lunch right next to the beach. Then we had to some time to hang out on the beach and go for a swim. Following the beach, we got back on the bus and headed back to Barcelona. The first five days of our trip have been great, and I'm sure the last few days will be just as great if not better.
- Brian Frasca
Friday, August 12, 2011
Yesterday morning the team traveled about three hours to Valencia so we could attend the Valencia vs. Roma friendly. Upon arriving the team had the day to themselves to look around and find a place for lunch until dinner and the game. Some looked for the beach which could not be found while others looked for a spot to eat which was tough due to siesta and a Spanish holiday. We ate dinner as a team and headed to the stadium around 8:30 or 9:00. We received our tickets at the gate and headed into the stadium. To our surprise we saw the tickets said row one and many thought “oh the first row in the top of the stadium.” They were wrong - we were on the field in the first two rows behind the players families and friends. We were shocked and amazed by the sights and sounds of the stadium and fans. Before the game the Valencia first team was introduced followed by warm-ups for both teams. Valencia soccer balls were then being thrown out into the stands - we all screamed for them to throw one our way and they did, Conner (McAuliffe) reached out off of the deflection from the first row and caught the ball. The game and experience of the game was unbelievable. We saw Italian star Totti and how big of a hot head he is by elbowing and head butting a Valencia player without even being cautioned. The final score of the game was 3-0 in favor of Valencia. After the game the players on Valencia threw their jerseys and warm-up gear in the stands and fans literally fought for them. We were unsuccessful, but still came away with a ball. We walked back to the hotel to get some rest before waking up early to depart from the hotel and play in our match against a local team from Valencia.
- Stephen Simonian
Thursday, August 11, 2011
Training with the Barcelona academy coaches was an amazing experience. They gave us valuable ideas and pointers as we trained on the same practice fields as FC Barcelona in the shadow of their Camp Nou Stadium. Afterwards we ate lunch by the stadium, further experiencing the Mediterranean type of food Barcelona offers. After feeling refreshed we went on a tour of the largest stadium in Europe, Camp Nou. We were stunned by the hundreds of trophies found in the stadium, dating back to the early 20th century.
Walking inside the actual stadium was breathtaking. Then, after taking a true Spanish siesta, we traveled by metro to the beachfront of Barcelona. Dinner was at a simple buffet of pizza and a variety of salads. Following this we took a 15 minute walk to the harbor where we got our first taste of the Catalunyan night life. The team was able to enjoy dozens of clubs making for a good end of the day. Tomorrow we will continue our travels with a trip to see Valencia play Roma.
- James Clements and Travis Miller
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
The team finally got some sleep after about two full days. However, the day still started early as we woke up to go on a team run through the Barcelona streets. After the run we had our first breakfast of the trip. The food was much different from our own as we various assortments of raw hams and other meats. There were also vegetables and other dinner items that one would not expect at breakfast. Next, it was to the Monserrat monastery up in the mountains. We arrived after about an hour ride through the twisty, mountain roads. The view at the monastery was tremendous. We spent about two and half hours and then began our descent back to the city of Barcelona. After about an hour and a half of downtime, we left for the stadium for our first game of the trip. We played a team from the second division in Spain. They were by far the best team we have ever played. However, despite a hard fought loss, everyone got valuable exposure to a level of play that no one had experienced before. It’s the type of experience that makes it so much easier to compete with teams like Messiah and E-town throughout the season. Following the game we exchanged some banners and scarves from LVC with our Spanish opponents.
Our tour guides then treated us to our dinner in which we spent time celebrating sophomore, Zach Snavely’s, 19th birthday. We had a Spanish dessert and spend quality time bonding and enjoying the moment. Tomorrow’s days brings much more fun and excitement as we get training from Barcelona coaches and a tour of team Barcelona’s stadium, Camp Nou.
- Chris Hall
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
After 4 hours of delay we finally made it to Barca. The pilot said he lost some vital instrument after we were an hour in the air so we had to turn around and land at JFK. When we arrived, we met our two tour guides Kags and Ellie. Kags is from England and Ellie lives in Barca so it's nice to have a translator other than Octavio on our trip. After a relaxing lunch in the cafe, we went to the supermarket to get some water, snacks, and other essentials for the week. After that, we travelled to the city of Tarragona to see our first live match: Barcelona vs. Espanyol in the Catalunya Cup Final. The bus ride down the Catalonian coastline was very scenic and the city of Tarragona has much history. It was a capital of the Roman Empire for over 150 years, and the road we travelled on to get there actually extends all the way to Rome. After walking around for a bit, we went over to the stadium. We were lucky enough for security to let us be dropped off in the same parking lot where the Barca and Espanyol team buses were. Although the venue was not as large as Camp Nou and most of the starting squad for both teams were not playing, the atmosphere and the intensity of the game was very exciting. The result was 3-0 Espanyol, as they made the most of their chances. Tomorrow we look forward to a trip up to the Monserrat monastery up in the mountains and our first game against local opposition in the evening.
- Eric Woods
Monday, August 8, 2011
Lebanon Valley College men's soccer departed on an eight-day trip to Barcelona, Spain, on Monday, heading abroad for the first time since 2007. Head coach Charlie Grimes and the 19 returning players will hold training sessions and visit various cultural landmarks during their time in Spain.
The team's schedule includes a training session with FC Barcelona coaches at the Nou Camp training center. The trip also includes watching two live games beginning with the Catalunya Cup Final on Tuesday and a preseason friendly between La Liga power Valencia and Italian Serie A side Roma on Friday.
Other sightseeing opportunities include Montserrat monastery, La Rambla, and a walking/bus tour of famous sites in Barcelona. The team will also explore the city of Valencia and spend a free day on the beach in Sitges.
While the team is abroad, fans can follow along with a daily “Postcard from Barcelona.” Each day a different member of the team will write a brief note on what the team did the day before and include a picture.
