In the summer of 2023, the Brescia Women’s Soccer team is partnering with WorldStrides Sports to take a trip of a lifetime to Sydney, Australia to the FIFA Women’s World Cup.
For 9 days, the women’s soccer team will not just take in professional international matches in the world’s largest athletic competition but have the opportunity to reach out and serve in the community of Sydney. “From the moment I took the head coaching position in March of 2020, I knew this was something I wanted to do for our program. We talk about there’s lots of excitement brewing across the country about The Sisterhood of Brescia Women’s Soccer, and this trip is something our players and future players can look forward to being a part of”, said head coach Shaun Soderling.
Aside from training sessions, playing games against local sides, and sight seeing around Sydney, the Brescia Women’s Soccer team will also be earning coaching licenses while working with members of the Australian National Blind Soccer Team.
“I knew I wanted to get our players connected with my friend Pete Nowakowski, who was recognized by FIFA for the work he’s done in Australia for Women’s soccer as well as the adaptive soccer community. He’s an assistant coach for the National Blind Team that’s about to compete in the 2024 Games in Paris and we’re thankful that he’s not just teaching our players how to coach the players from the blind team when we get to work with them, but giving them certifications to join or start adaptive soccer programs in their own communities,” said Coach Soderling.
The excitement from this announcement goes all the way to the President’s office on BU’s campus. “Coach Soderling and his team have a special opportunity to travel to Sydney, Australia to watch the Women’s World Cup. The team will also use this opportunity to work with the specialist in the coaching field to understand how to adapt soccer to meet the needs of players who have disabilities. The players are excited for this chance and it is the Brescia Difference and servant leadership in action”, said Brescia University President Fr. Larry Hostetter.
Much like Fr. Larry Hostetter’s excitement, this trip is spreading positive vibes all across Brescia’s campus. “It’s really inspiring to see how much time Coach Soderling has put into creating this opportunity to ensure our athletes have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. They are traveling abroad, interacting with world-class athletes and trainers, watching their sport on a global stage and experiencing it all with their fellow teammates, ” said Brescia Vice President of External Affairs and Chief of Staff Dr. Lauren McCrary. Dean of Student Affairs, Dr. Josh Clary also added, “Visiting Australia and witnessing the 2023 Women’s World Cup will be a once in a lifetime opportunity for our Women’s Soccer Program. I am excited for Coach Soderling and our students to have the opportunity to compete in Australia and experience a World Cup. What a unique opportunity for the Brescia Women’s Soccer program to continue to grow and develop as players and as people.”
The Lady Bearcats will be spending time over the next two years with various fundraisers to help lower the costs of their travel. The Brescia University GiveCampus donation page will be available until their departure in the summer of 2023.
Brescia University Director of Alumni and Donor Relations Jake Davis was excited to work with the women’s soccer team the moment he found out about their trip.
“When Coach Soderling told me about taking the team to the 2023 Women’s World Cup in Sydney, I was most excited about what this would mean for our students. Year after year, I meet alumni from all over the world and hear stories about how their experiences at Brescia helped make them the people they are today. Twenty years from now, our Brescia Women’s Soccer players will look to this experience as a turning point in their lives. Not only will their Brescia Experience allow them the opportunity to travel the world and attend a World Cup, but what they’ll be doing with the Australian Adaptive Soccer programs will give them the chance to be true servant leaders in not just the Sydney and Owensboro communities but their respective home communities as well. These student-athletes will cherish and carry with them forever the opportunity to be servant leaders on the international stage, and there couldn’t be a better example of the Brescia Difference than that,” Davis said.
This is a Brescia Athletics press release.
