PARIS, France - With former W&M women's soccer standout Jill Ellis '88 at the helm of the United States Women's National Team, 50 Tribe women's soccer alums, family, and friends have made the trek to France for the United States' final two games of the group stage. Head W&M women's soccer coach Julie Shackford gives a recap of day one of the trip.

Day One Blog -
Tribe to France
 
Both Coach Lycan and I knew we would be heading to France as soon as Head Coach Jill Ellis '88 and the United States Women's National Team qualified for the world stage.  As our plans began to come to fruition, we started exploring the idea of bringing some of our Tribe alums over with us. We threw a quick email together and as soon as we hit the "send" button, we were flooded with responses, spanning over almost four decades.  Much to our excitement, Dr. John Charles, the program's very first coach, clinched one of our first spots on the roster.  The women's soccer program started as a varsity sport in 1981 and among the early Tribesters on the trip are Charlotte Davis '83, Anna Kuhn '84, and Mary Swanson '84.  On the other end of the spectrum, the Class of 2017, including Corrine Giroux, Katie Kriner and Olivia Camper, signed up as our "Baby Tribesters"!  Caroline Casey '16, newly retired as a professional keeper in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL), knew she would have some time before she entered medical school and together with a whole slew of alums, family and friends, an eclectic group of 50, bound by love for the Tribe, has stormed Paris. 

In order to maximize attendance, we decided on the Chile and Sweden games, along with some great sightseeing opportunities in between.  Most of the group traveled from Dulles Airport, and the group came together in Paris on Saturday morning. With a few glitches, like some people forgetting to exit the airport with their luggage, we all managed to get on the bus by around 10 a.m.  With weary travelers, we decided on a bus tour to take in some Paris sights.  Our tour guide provided a ton of history with some great Parisian humor to keep a lot of groggy travelers awake.  We finished our tour at the Tower Eiffel, made some Chilean friends and came together for a group picture. The excitement was palpable and there has been no shortage of conversation among young, old and everyone in between.

We came back to our quaint hotel, the Hotel Mercure, in the 15th Arrondissement for a great beef stew and watched Canada beat New Zealand, 1-0!  We then ventured out, surrounded by amazing outdoor cafes, creperies and the hustle and bustle of a Paris on a Saturday night.  We managed to get our second wind, talk most of the night and headed back to our hotel around 1:30 in the morning.  We decided sleep was secondary to taking in all the phenomenal sights, smells and sounds!

On Sunday, we had a great breakfast and began conversations on hair, makeup, costumes and how best to represent our United States Women's National Team and Coach Ellis.  To get our day going, we took a beautiful boat ride down the Seine River. We were able to get a good view of the damaged Cathedrale Notre-Dame, as well as many beautiful bridges, city buildings, the Tower Eiffel and the Musee D'Orsay.  The trip was an incredible way to start our game day and the weather cooperated, not a cloud in the sky and a comfortable 70 degrees.   Former Coach John Daly, a living legend and long time Tribe coach, joined us on the boat tour and it was great for everyone to share memories, stories, small and tall!

Everyone did lunch on their own, exploring the many options around our hotel.  We convened at 2:45pm to face paint, accessorize, and get our chants ready for the game.  I think we might have scared some people in the hotel, but there wasn't a doubt where we were going, or who we were supporting!  The stadium opened at 4:00 p.m., two hours before kick-off. The Tribe Army hopped on the bus for a short sojourn to Le Parc des Princes, Paris St. Germain's stadium.  We hopped off quickly, stopping traffic, and the sound of drums and cheers filled the streets leading to the stadium.  We interacted with the Chilean fans, took some great group photos and started to enter the stadium.

The game was a sell-out and the U.S. wasted no time, with captain Carli Lloyd volleying a beautiful shot in the 11th minute, followed by a Julie Ertz goal (off a corner) in the 26th and Lloyd got the brace with a second in the 35th, a beautiful header off a corner kick.  Coach Ellis used a completely different line-up, playing a fairly traditional 4-3-3 with seven new starters.  Jill, the consummate tactician, rested her big guns and showed the rest of the world just how deep the U.S. bench is.  Though we had plenty of chances in the second half, Chile's goalkeeper, Christiane Endler, put on a show, thwarting a handful of chances that would have been goals with anybody else between the pipes.  Carli Lloyd missed out on a hat trick after a penalty was called but the U.S. wins and moves on…the result we all wanted! Our group of 50 hopped back on the bus, and back to the hotel to eat and rehash the day!  Again, with zero lulls in conversation, we happily reflected on a great day!

Tomorrow, we will take the trek to Montmartre to wander the streets and climb the hill to the Sacre-Coueur in the morning.  After our morning field trip, we will bus back to the Louvre, the largest art museum in the world, a must see for any tourist visiting Paris. Au revoir and we look forward to reporting back tomorrow. 

- Head Coach Julie Shackford "Shacks"