This morning a few of us went up to the BJK Inönü stadium, home of the professional team, Besiktas and played some pick up soccer with some locals in a little square. We were also able to watch a few of the other sports and meet people from other countries.
In the afternoon we played Belgium. We did not perform our best during the first game. Sometimes it seemed as though the ideas were there, but the execution was not. The field was very patchy, dusty, and hard - a lot different from the smooth, perfect turf we have back in Toronto at the Varsity Centre. It took us a while to get used to the field and style of play. There were a few questionable calls from the refs - who allowed minimal contact. The European refs are just not used to women being as aggressive as us, I guess. We finally got used to the flow of the game and in the second half had more possession. We had a shot that hit the post by Mary Anne and then Christina scored for the 1-0 win.
The game after us was Turkey (Bogaziçi University) vs. Pakistan. Turkey looked like they had good footwork, and we will probably meet them in the semi finals or finals.
After the game we had to go straight to a ferry that carried all of the teams from the Sport Fest, with only a few minutes to shower. Luckily we made friends with some security guards who let us store all of our balls and dirt socks and shoes in their cabin. The ferry normally carried cars, but the area where the cars were supposed to be was converted into a big dance floor.
Sending our best to Kat, Bry, Kate, Lindsay, Drei and everyone else back in Canada - we wash you were here!
Until next time,
-Jenny
