Tiger women's soccer captains Suzanne Medwid, Jordan Bamberger and Jamie Mack with Wittenberg President Mark Erickson, Assistant Coach Mandi Wroblewski and Head Coach Norm Riker.

Springfield, Ohio — Coming off two straight North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) championships, the Wittenberg University women's soccer team kicked off the 2008 season with a whirlwind 11-day training trip to Europe.

The 30-person traveling party, which includes 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, headed overseas on Wednesday, Aug. 6. The group plans to visit four soccer-crazy European countries, playing games against strong local competition in three of them, before returning home to join the program's incoming recruits for regular preseason practices on Sunday, Aug. 17.

The student-athletes, coaches and trainers got a jumpstart on the trip with four days of training on campus from Aug. 1-4 before departing for a trip that Riker says focuses on all the best aspects of varsity collegiate athletics – camaraderie, competition and educational experiences. The trip was organized by former Tiger men's soccer assistant coach Nick Roberts, who is now the head coach at nearby Urbana University, and his company Premier Sports Group International.

Interestingly, Riker said that all 24 of the student-athletes and student trainers are making their first trip abroad. It is 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.

"With this being the second tour we've done as a program and the fact that these students are making their first trip to Europe, it really fits with (Wittenberg President) Mark Erickson's statement that we want to take Wittenberg to the world," said Riker, who has led the Tigers to a 72-37-13 record since 2002. "I'm excited about giving these young people their first international experience."

Wittenberg will play three "friendlies" during the tour, starting with a date against Twente/Heracles, a Dutch club team. The game will be played in Nijmegen, The Netherlands, the oldest city in the country, on Monday, Aug. 11. Two days later, the Tigers will take the field against Union Solingen in Solingen, Germany (near Dusseldorf). Wittenberg wraps up competition on the trip against Vlimmeren Sport in Antwerp, Belgium, on Thursday, Aug. 14.

"The highlight to me is that we get a chance to play the world's game in Europe," Riker said. "What a great experience."

The tour starts in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, where a major professional tournament hosted by the renowned club team Ajax is taking place. The traveling party will be in the stands for a doubleheader featuring F.C. Seville from Spain vs. Inter Milan from Italy and Ajax vs. Arsenal from England on Friday, Aug. 8.

In between training, watching and playing soccer, the traveling party will participate in various tourist activities, including visits to the Anne Frank House and the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam. The schedule also includes a visit to the De Hoge Veluwe Forest, a Dutch National Park, for a bicycle tour and entry into the Kroller-Moller Museum, which includes a famous Van Gogh collection. In addition, the group will tour Dusseldorf, Antwerp and Paris.

The 2005 Europe trip served as a catalyst of sorts for the program, which had never previously won an NCAC title of any kind. In the three seasons since the Tigers went 2-0-1 against German club teams, Wittenberg has won more than 80 percent of its games, one NCAC regular season title, two NCAC Tournament crowns and three NCAA Division III Tournament games.

At first glance, the 2008 Tigers appear to be in rebuilding mode after the most successful senior class in school history graduated in May. However, plenty of talent and experience remains active on the roster as 20 letterwinners return, led by third-team All-America midfielder Suzanne Medwid, class of 2009 from Columbus, Ohio. A total of 12 players who appeared in at least 17 of the Tigers' games during an 18-3-3 campaign in 2007 are back in the fold, including defender Rachael Radel, class of 2010 from Columbus, Ohio, who has started every game in her collegiate career.

Related Links: Wittenberg Women's Soccer Home Page