Wheaton men's soccer plans international tour to England, Italy and Switzerland from August 3-13

August 1, 2006

NORTON, MA- The Wheaton College men's soccer team will represent the school during an international tour to the nations of England, Italy and Switzerland from August 3-13. The European trip is the first of its kind for any Wheaton program in the 21-team athletic department.

Thirteenth-year head coach Matt Cushing will lead a contingent of returning Lyon players on the tour, which will feature five games against international opposition over the course of seven days. Wheaton will play three contests in Italy and one match in both England and Switzerland.

The Blue and White's first game of the tour is against Stevenage Borough at England's North Hertfordshire College on Sunday at 11:00 a.m. Game two is slated for Monday in Italy, where the Lyons will face Equipe Lombardia in Cogliate at 9:00 p.m. Tuesday marks the third straight match in a different country, as Wheaton is scheduled to play AC Lugano in Switzerland at 7:00 p.m.

Returning to Italy, the Blue and White will gear up for its fourth contest in as many days on Wednesday, when the team meets AC Este at 6:00 p.m. The Lyons have a day off on Thursday and are set for a Friday afternoon training session before matching up with AC Voghera in the tour's finale on Saturday at 5:00 p.m. Wheaton completes its trip with a return journey to New England on Sunday.

In addition to being exposed to international competition, the 24-player group will have the opportunity to experience sightseeing and several guided tours, including a visit to Milan's San Siro Stadium, in addition to taking in a professional exhibition game between Premier League club Charlton Athletic and the National Team of New Zealand this Saturday.

Following the game, the group has a social planned in central London at the house of Wheaton sophomore Justin Landsberger (London, England/American School). Returning to his roots, the second-year midfielder appeared in five games as a freshman and scored his first collegiate goal in a 5-0 victory over Rivier College on September 28, 2005.

The Lyons are coming off their third straight NCAA Tournament appearance after posting a 13-5-2 record in 2005. Finishing 5-0-1 in the New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC), Wheaton won its fifth regular season and tournament titles.

This page is maintained by Scott Dietz. Last updated on 8/2/06.
Questions about this page? Use our query form.

News Headlines

Cote and Ferriero two of six NEWMAC players selected to compete in NEISL Senior All-Star game (more)

Senior captains draw All-New England laurels for first time (more)

Wheaton men's soccer's final record receives adjustment (more)