We slept in a little this morning, and the extra rest was really
needed after a late finish last night. After the game against the LA
Vikings, most people did some extra fitness work, because so many
people saw playing time. This meant that dinner was not finished until
well after 9:30 pm. I could not wait to get to bed.
The match, which we won 3 - 0, was played at the Fullerton University
field that we have been training on. It was an intense contest. The LA
Vikings are a very strong team, full of professional players and with
some international players too.
or me, I enjoyed watching Ali Riley, the left back for the Vikings in
the second half. She is a New Zealand player, whom John Herdman used
to coach. 's New Zealand players. She had a great game, and it was
really interesting for me to watch her playing in this position. I
thought she had a very strong game. I also again enjoyed playing
against my old Tennessee Lady Vols teammate Jenny Jeffers again:
Always good to see her.
For us, even though we know this match was just part of our
preparation and we have not reached our peak yet, I thought Sophie
Schmidt had a stormer of a game. She works her tail off in every game
and yesterday was no different.
Today, after yesterday's exertions, was a relaxed one. We had a
hydrotherapy session in the pool in the morning and, even though
everyone complained, it felt really good afterwards. The water was a
little colder than we were expecting for California, but after Cesar
started running us around in the water, we soon warmed up.
We then had some free time before a mobility and stability session,
followed by personal time for the rest of the day. Some people braved
the traffic and headed to the beaches. Others,like me, stayed a little
closer to home and went to the local malls. It was refreshing to
escape the hotel for a while, even if it was only to visit a
mind-numbing mall. I especially enjoyed our dinner out. About ten of
us gathered our energy and headed across the street to a Mexican
restaurant. How tough are we?
