Saturday, August 1, 2015

Pura Vida Futsal - Ashley Johnson in Costa Rica

By Ashley Johnson, member of the U.S. Youth Futsal Girls U18 team

Today, with the U.S. Youth Futsal girls U18 team I got a chance to play against the Costa Rica Women's National Futsal Team. It was a really great experience. Even though we lost, it was a really good learning opportunity for myself and the other girls on our team. 

One girl specifically, named Emily Rollender, who has become a really great friend of mine, got the chance to be the first and only American ‘’woman” to score against another national team. It was also a very physical game. In the beginning we struggled, but as the game continued, we rose to the physical challenge and put up a good fight. After the game we came back to the hotel only to sit around for a couple hours. 

We finally took off for our game at 2:30. Everyone was focused and ready to play. We warmed up, walked out, and started to play the game. It was obvious in the beginning of the game that we were going to have control of the possession during the game. Even though we scored 12 goals, (I scored 4 of the 12 goals), we played one of the best games all week. We actually started to play more as a team because we had experience with each other now. 

After our game, we stayed and watched the U18 boys team play. I was cheering my heart out for them even though they lost. We returned to the hotel and had a goodbye meeting. All of the coaches stood up and each said some thank you’s not only to the players but the parents and people behind the scenes as well. When the meeting was done, everyone thanked the coaches, took pictures with each other, and said their own goodbyes to different people. I am going to miss all the people I have met on this trip but will remain in contact with all the friends I made. This trip has been so amazing and I cannot thank all the people


Johnson (left) with Emily Rollender

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