The Tiger women’s soccer team kicked off its 2008 season with an 11-day training trip to Europe. It must have been a good trip because the Tigers returned home and put together another outstanding season, finishing 11-4-6 overall and 5-2-1 in the North Coast Athletic Conference and advancing to a third straight NCAA Division III Tournament.

The 30-person traveling party, which included 21 student-athletes – all upperclassmen – three student trainers, Assistant Certified Athletic Trainer Michaelyn Sebold, Assistant Coach Mandi Wroblewski, and Head Coach Norm Riker and his family, visited four soccer-crazy European countries in August 2008. The Tigers played games against local competition in three of the countries before returning home to join the program’s incoming recruits for regular preseason practices.

Riker said the trip focused on all the best aspects of varsity collegiate athletics – camaraderie, competition and educational experiences. Interestingly, Riker said that all 24 of the student-athletes and student trainers were making their first trip abroad. It was the second time that Riker has taken his team to Europe for a preseason training trip after the 2005 squad visited and played games in Germany.