Day 8 - Milan and Match #2

We started day 8 very early! The Hotel Royal Palace in Montecatini began serving breakfast at 7 a.m. Most of our group was waiting in the lobby for the doors to open in an effort to beat the other tourists in our hotel to the breakfast line. We grabbed a quick bite from the assortment of meat, cheese, bread, cereal, and pastries and headed for the bus. We departed Montecatini at 7:30 a.m. and started our 300 kilometer trip through the Appinini Mountains and into the city of Milan. 

On the way to Milan we drove through mountains, farmland, and industrial areas. Most of the bus ride was very quiet as the early wake-up call had allowed little time for the group to be energized. The 4 hour trip was the perfect time to take advantage of a couple more minutes of sleep before really beginning the day.

Once we entered into Milan we drove around the city to see some of the architecture then we were dropped off at the Cathedral Duomo for an hour of free time. The group headed in separate directions in search for lunch and some shopping. The city of Milan is known as the fashion capital of Italy. The shops ranged from high-end stores such as Louis Vuitton and Mercedes Benz attire as well as many other well-known brands. There was also an area of shops including United Colors of Benetton and Zara and then an even more affordable section of town with small local shops. Milan included a little something for everyone and many people in our group took advantage.

After an hour of free time we met-up with our local guide who gave us a brief but very interesting tour of the city center including the history of the Cathedral Duomo which is older than the Cathedral of Notre Dame and took over 400 years to build. We then walked over to the Galleria which is the passage-way that was built to connect the original center of town, which was the Cathedral to the newer art district. We were also given the chance to see the opera house as well as a statue of Leonardo da Vinci who lived in Milan for 20 years and was responsible for much of the artwork in the city.



The Cathedral Duomo - Milan, Italy



After finishing our tour and viewing some of the beautiful buildings we had one more hour to peruse through the area. We met back up with the group at 2:30 p.m. and boarded the bus. The team had a game in just 2.5 hours. Our trip to the field was about 65 kilometers and took just under an hour for us to get there. The stadium was in the city of Caravaggio, Italy and was quite beautiful. Upon our arrival at 3:45 p.m. the team headed to the locker room to prepare for the game.

Match #2 – Brown vs. ASD Mozzanica

Today’s match was played on a beautiful grass pitch, 73 x 120 yards, which provided plenty of space to spread out the game.   Pregame festivities included individual team photos and the typical friendly match combined teams photo.  Players then walked out to center circle for player introductions.  The announcer did a nice job with the player’s names and hyped up the crowd for the start of the game. Temperature on the field was a warm 79 degrees with no cool breeze.

Kickoff occurred at 5 p.m. with Brown starting play.  Within the first 2 minutes Brown had two great opportunities on crosses from the left side to the far post.  Both shots just missed the target.  Two minutes later ASD Mozzanica had a great opportunity to score but a finger tip save by Amber negated the opportunity.

After this furious start the game settled into a battle.  The teams were well matched with speed and physical play.  Each team had a number of good scoring opportunities in the first half. Brown’s defense hung tight and the half ended in a hard fought 0-0 tie.

The second half started with a bang.  At the 1:52 minute mark Eliza Marshall placed a shot into the far post side netting from just inside the 18 yard box.  The play was started by a wonderful pass from Louisa Pitney from the midfield.

The fans didn’t have to wait too long for goal number two.  After stopping an attack by ASD Mozzanica, defender Allie Mullin knocked a beautiful ball to the space behind the opposing team’s defense for Eliza to run onto.  Eliza took the pass in stride beating the last defender and touching the ball just past the fast approaching keeper.  Once past the keeper she slotted the ball in to the far side netting at the 4:32 mark of the second half.

The game settled back in to a battle with both sides stopping a number of good opportunities until the 28:15 minute mark.  Brown won a corner kick, which Gloria Chun sent low and hard across the six yard box.  Defender Diana Ohrt wacked the lose ball into the back of the net for Brown’s third goal.  Final score Brown 3 – ASD Mozzanica 0.  Another great win for Brown!

Brown vs. ASD Mozzanica - Match #2

The victorious team boarded the bus for the final travel of the day. It took us 1 hour and 20 minutes to get to Como, Italy and the Hotel Cruise; our fifth hotel for the trip and our home for tonight and Sunday night.