Kayley Bell | Staff Writer | kbell4@mail.smcvt.edu
“Being able to play in Spain felt like a capstone to my soccer career,” said captain Christina Cummings, ’25. “This trip was truly a childhood dream come true.”
The St. Michael’s College women’s soccer team traveled to Madrid and Barcelona for preseason training from Aug. 9-18. The Spain soccer tour was the first step in preparing the team to compete in the fall 2024 season.
On Aug. 9, the team left the airport for Madrid, starting a ten-day experience. This was the freshmen’s first experience with the team and the first time the entire team had been together.
This year, the team will be led by 14 seniors, and 12 freshmen will join them. The team’s preseason trip was focused on in-game training, lots of team bonding, and getting to know one another off the field, said coach Wendy Elles.
The St. Michael’s College women’s soccer team enjoying their time in Spain.
The team began training sessions working with a Spanish coach with the help of a translator. This allowed them to experience a different style of the game than they are used to here in the United States.
“They are a lot less physical and more technical,” said captain Elani Gikas, ’25. Her favorite part of the training was seeing the different styles of play. The team played four games in Spain against tough competition.
Coach Elles said the games were a highlight of the trip and the team learned a lot. The team’s “culture and chemistry is fantastic, and the trip to Spain only heightened that.”
Julia Palmese, ’28, started her St. Michael’s College soccer career with this trip to Spain.
“The trip made my transition into college athletics much easier,” Palmese said. “It allowed me to get to know the coaching staff, the players, and the style of play.”
Palmese saw this trip as an opportunity to learn how the season would be from experiencing the “intensity firsthand.”
While in Spain the team toured the Real Madrid Stadium and attended a Barcelona-Valencia soccer game.
Coach Elles said the atmosphere there was amazing. For many players, this was their first time watching an international game, and the stadium in Valencia was “electric.”
The team also had tour guides to help with their explorations. They went on walking tours to historical spots in the cities of Madrid and Barcelona.
“Just being together as a team was just special,” Coach Elles said.
Not only did they get to play the game they love so much at a high level, but they also got to spend time together as a team.
Gikas said she “went to Spain with 36 of her best friends.”
Coach Elles said the team is feeling ready for this upcoming season and looks to put what they learned and experienced in Spain to good use on the field.