Pella To Platteville RECAP!!

To kick off the season, the Gusties packed up for a five day trip to compete in their first two games of the season! The Gusties left on Tuesday, August 31st, to head down to Pella, Iowa to play their first game against Central College.

 During the bus ride, the Gusties watched movies, bonded with each other, and prepared for classes to start. With our fantastic bus driver Judy, we made it to Pella, Iowa in roughly 4 hours. Once we had made it to our hotel, we enjoyed a delicious team dinner that we were all hungry for, followed by more team building. We rested up and got ready for our first game on Wednesday against Central College. 

It was a long hard battle and the Gusties solidified the win with a score of 2-1. Senior Katie Ashpole scored the Gusties’ first goal in the 24th minute. The build up to this goal started with Junior defender Molly Waters as she connected with the midfield to find senior Page Cocchiarella. Page made a beautiful run at the top of the 18 yard box and connected a pass to her teammate Katie Ashpole. Katie, wide open on the other side of the 18 yard box, finished a nice line-drive ball in the back of the net. Well done Gusties!

Soon after, First Year Elin Swenson scored a beautiful first career goal in the 44th minute. Senior Lydia Arens made a great run which allowed Elin to drive into a pocket of space. Elin was then able to get a shot off in the upper left corner of the goal. Everyone went absolutely crazy with excitement for Elin as they all charged her with hugs and cheers. The excitement and encouragement the team created was a really great atmosphere to be a part of. While riding the high and lows of every game, Central scored a goal in the 81st minute. The Gusties continued to work hard together to ensure the 2-1 win. It was a great first game and the Gusties showed a lot of potential for the upcoming season. After the game, the team had time to explore downtown Pella, Iowa with all the shops and stores. The ice cream was definitely a team favorite along with the famous Jaarsma's Dutch bakery shop.



After all the excitement and energy of winning the first game, the Gusties began channeling this amazing energy into preparing for the next game on September 3rd against UW- Platteville. We had a fantastic practice the day before the game that helped us prepare for a great game. After practice, we had the opportunity to tour Pella Historical Village and Vermeer Windmill. On this tour, we learned a lot of new information about the windmill and the process of being a miller man. After a fantastic tour, we were able to head to the beach and enjoy some free time. The Gusties played lots of card games, competed in a sand castle building competition, and lastly were able to go paddle boarding. After a fun day in the town of Pella, Iowa, we had to shift our thinking and get dialed in for our game. 

We were able to rest and then had an early drive to Platteville, Wisconsin. Sadly, it rained the entire drive so we were unable to visit the World's Largest M. On a positive note, we had the opportunity to get extra card games in, which the team absolutely loves. As game time came around, the rain started to slow down to a constant drizzle, which made for perfect game day weather. 

The Gusties started out the game working hard but continued to grow as time went on. Their possession grew stronger as they found new pockets of space, interchanged positions, and high pressed together. Although it's not the result we wanted, we were all really proud of how we played and grew into the game. To wrap up the trip, the Gusties took the long trek back to St. Peter. 

This was a fantastic trip that really showcased the potential for this upcoming season. Can't wait to see where the season takes us this year. Excellent job Gusties!