Netting New Experiences in Europe : West Valley Girls’ Soccer Team Wins Games, Friends

The West Valley Fusion girls’ soccer team returned from its trip to Germany and Denmark last week a little weary, but more cultured than when it left home.

The girls arrived in California Tuesday night after a hectic schedule that included 14 matches in 19 days, but they did have enough strength left to carry home two trophies. Competing in the 14-and-under division, the girls finished first and third in two international tournaments.

Although it was billed as much a cultural exchange as it was a soccer tour, soccer clearly defined West Valley’s presence there. The Fusion dominated its foreign opponents, losing only twice to Danish club teams.

West Valley finished first in a 16-team field at the Vildbjerg Cup, an annual international tournament sponsored by a local sports club and a Danish brewery.

One week later, the Fusion finished third in a 31-team field at the Dana Cup in Hjorring, a village in northern Denmark. The international tournament, which drew more than 5,000 players, was sponsored by another Danish club.

West Valley apparently impressed teams everywhere it played. Friends were made, even with players on the teams it beat.

“A lot of teams we played tagged along with us,” goalkeeper Kelly Chever said. “There was one team we beat, 12-0, that just stuck around and went everywhere we went. If I got beat 12-0, I wouldn’t want to talk about it.”

When not on the soccer field practicing or playing, the girls experienced everyday life in Germany and Denmark while staying with host families in small villages.

“It was strange at first because the people were really different than us,” midfielder Jessica Armcross said. “They were really open and we were really shy, but after a while everybody got along fine.”

West Valley Coach David Cummins proposed the trip after a number of West Valley families had served as hosts to soccer players from other countries for area tournaments. The team then launched an 18-month fund-raising drive.

The team left home July 14 and spent six days in Wohnste, a small village in Germany. West Valley beat the village’s club team, MTV Wohnste, 4-2, before moving on to Vildbjerg, a village in central Denmark.

“We stayed in a farm town,” fullback Erin Kelly said. “Every day you go next door to your neighbor to milk a cow for breakfast. It’s different.”