The players of the UNC women's soccer team showed none of the subdued serenity that usually abounds at 5:02 a.m. as their van pulled away from Finley practice field this past Wednesday. The reigning national champs, minus a few superstars and virtually their entire defense, would not finish the first leg of their journey for 36 hours and would lose an entire calendar day in the process. Still, they were bound for Australia and they could not contain their excitement.
After a layover in Chicago and a four hour flight that at that point seemed incredibly long, the Tar Heels arrived in Palo Alto, Calif. to conduct a clinic for Union FC. They ran the girls through a variety of technical drills, from shooting to heading to passing, before Tobin Heath and Casey Nogueira wowed the girls with their world famous juggling skills and bicycle kicks. Despite the grueling journey, the Heels maintained the charm and charisma that has so endeared them to all of their supporters, including the large number of girls who wore UNC shirts to the clinic. The Heels then enjoyed a wonderful dinner near the Stanford campus and headed back to the San Francisco airport.
Uncharacteristically for the UNC Women's Soccer team that is notorious for mad dashes through airports, potentially forgotten players at the gates and nearly misplaced national championship trophies, the trip had gone incredibly smoothly up to that point. The travel Gods tried to the trip off track with a missing uniform bag and the prospect of facing the Australian National Team in practice gear. But the bag reappeared in the knick of time and the team boarded their flight to Sydney with no other problems.
Fifteen hours and only a tiny bit of turbulence later, the Tar Heels were thrilled to find themselves in the Land Down Under. "I can't believe we're actually in Australia," was the common refrain on the short trip to their hotel, which is situated in the heart of the Rocks district of Old Sydney. While they waited to check into their rooms, the players broke off into groups to explore their surroundings, unfazed by the clouds and drizzle. The highlights included the surrounding shops and a book of Australian slang (Ali Hawkins proclaimed that after nearly a full day in the air the players looked positively "daggy", or not cool), as well as strolls down George Street and a fantastic view of the famous Sydney Opera House from their hotel's roof.
The clouds broke during lunch, but the Tar Heels headed straight for the Sydney Aquarium, where the seals, sharks and platypus were the overwhelming favorites. The day did not last much longer, though. after a pizza dinner on the roof, the players collapsed into their beds for a slumber that was a longtime coming.
Day two in Sydney greeted the rejuvenated Tar Heels with a perfected temperature and a sky that matched the NC logos on their practice gear. Some of the ladies started the day by climbing the Sydney Harbor Bridge and taking in the spectacular view while the rest were treated to an impromptu didgeridoo performance at a nearby Aboriginal art shop.
Before reconvening for practice, some of the Heels also wandered through the weekend market that unexpectedly popped up on George Street overnight. Their purchases included paintings and bracelets and wine racks, but Yael Averbuch and Mandy Moraca won the award for most eccentric trinket with their authentic kangaroo testicle keychains. (They did not, however, plop down 30 Australian dollars for a vintage North Carolina license plate, which could be found in a box full of U.S. tags).
The Tar Heels had a brief training session in a park nestled between the Royal Botanical Gardens and a wall of massive skyscrapers and then scattered to all corners of the city. Whitney Engen, Ali Hawkins and Ashlyn Harris saw the New Romantics ballet at the Sydney Opera House while a number of the women and the staff had lunch at the G'Day Cafe. From there some took a 30-minute ferry ride to check out the shops at Manly Beach and others perused the market or relaxed in the rooftop hot tub.
On Sunday, the Tar Heels travel to Canberra, Australia's capital city, to take on the Australian National Team, and from there on to Brisbane and Auckland.
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