Aug. 19, 2004
Los Angeles, CA - The LMU men's soccer team will spend its preseason training and traveling in Europe. The Lions hope to blend the talent of the newcomers with the experience of the veterans as they play five preseason games. In addition, they will take advantage of cultural and educational opportunities in England and Italy.
The team will arrive in London on August 19 and play two games before departing to Italy. While in London, the Lions will visit landmarks such as the Globe Theatre, Buckingham Palace, the Tower of London, the Houses of Parliament, Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, and Trafalgar Square. LMU will take on Stevanage Borough FC on August 20, and Gravesend & Northfleet on August 22.
The Lions will leave England on August 23 and travel to Milan. During their first day in Italy, they will visit Leonard Da Vinci's "Last Supper" in the church of Santa Maria delle Grazie. That evening, they will play GS San Paulo. After a day at the Adriatic Riviera, the team will play its fourth game against AS Rimini Serie C-1 on August 25. The Lions play their final game of the trip on August 26th against San Marino C-2. The team will spend time in San Marino and Florence before returning to the US on Sunday, August 29.
Each student-athlete will be attending a class during the trip, which will be administered by LMU English professor, Dr. John Reilly. Dr. Reilly, who will be on the tour with the Lions, will lead discussion groups on topics as the team goes through daily tours of the sights and sounds in England and Italy.
The three-credit course, which will count towards graduation requirements, will focus on the comparison of this trip's experiences traveling abroad with the experiences of fictional young adult American travelers from the 19th and 20th centuries, encouraging the student-athletes to examine the relationship between American values, outlooks, and behaviors with regards to those of the Western Europe.
The Lions begins their regular season on Friday, September 3 when they travel to Omaha, Nebraska to take on Southwest Missouri State at the Creighton Tournament. LMU's 2004 schedule includes seven games against opponents who finished the 2003 campaign ranked in the top-20.
Loyola Marymount Men's Soccer European Game Schedule
August 20, Stevanage Borough FC, 7:30pm
August 22, Gravesend & Northfleet, 3:00pm
August 24, GS San Paoli, 8:30pm
August 25, AS Rimini Serie C-1, 6:00pm
August 26, San Marino C-2, TBA
All game times local to site
