March 11, 2008

To our adoring fans that have been with us every step of the way, this is Hannah Sklar and Theresa DeLucca, and welcome to our third day in Brazil.

For the first time this trip, the players have had a few hours to themselves. Although the option to sleep-in seemed tempting, we all decided to discard this opportunity. Being the explorers we are, we decided to check out Sao Paulo and the Brazilian culture.

Everyone took full advantage of this time and soaked in the sun, smells, and sights of the city - and of course spent a few Reales. The Patriots shortly returned to the hotel for a delicious pre-game meal, compliments of the Sonesta hotel.

The bus arrived for our third international game against University of Mckenzie and once again we were greeted with smiling faces. We were warned that the level of competition each game would increase and this team definitely gave us a run for our money.

The first half was filled with equal opportunities for both teams, yet after a phenomenal save by Amy Arroyo, a Brazilian forward capitalized on a rebound off the cross bar. In the second half, George Mason came out strong and determined to even the score. Kelly Keelan, continuing her assisting streak, sent a through ball to Leslie Cabe who scored her 3rd goal of our Brazilian tour. Unfortunately after a hard fought battle, University of Mckenzie scored to end the game 2-1. Although the game did not go in our favor, it just made the team more eager to win our final two matches.

The support we're receiving from the locals is amazing. After every game we've played, we are greeted by a rush of intrigued Brazilians, whose enthusiasm and excitement is contagious. We take lots of pictures with them, sign autographs, try to communicate, get to know them, and learn from them as best we can. Everyone on the team is trying very hard to catch on to Portuguese as quickly as we can and the people here are so willing to help us - great linguistic teamwork.

We ended the day with an authentic dinner at a local churrascaria. This is an all you can eat style restaurant with all traditional Brazilian cuisine. It has a delicious salad bar with everything from vegetables to pig skins, where fresh meats are constantly being served to your seats, and a make-your-own pasta station is offered to you as well. Known for its meat, the churrascaria did not let us down by serving a total of seven different animals! To top off our wonderful dinner, we headed to a local gelato shop for dessert, and prepared for our departure from San Paulo.

Tomorrow we are heading off to a new part of Brazil, and even though San Paulo has treated us very nice we are all excited to see what Santos, our new location has to offer.