University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics
High-Quality Soccer and Fun on Day Three in Costa Rica for UNC Asheville Men's Soccer - Blog and Match Report
05.17.2017 | Men's Soccer
Day Three Photos (Gallery on Facebook)
Instagram Video of Dancing by Millington
Today we woke up and had another incredible breakfast at the Wyndham hotel. We then departed to the city and visited El Mantial, a school for children with broken homes where many of the kids have abusive parents or parents struggling with substance abuse. The woman that runs the school (Ana Maritsa) has so much love and passion for what she does, and even though the children are in bad situations, they are lucky to have a role model like her in their lives. The school aims to teach the children to live the right way and encourages them to pursue education and escape the bad neighborhood in which they live. The older children were in class, so we played with the younger kids, who were aged about 4-6. They were so excited to get attention, as many of them don't get any at home. They climbed on our shoulders and yelled ¡Caballito! ¡Caballito! (rocking horse, merry go-round) as we ran around and gave them rides. It was an incredibly exhausting and rewarding experience, but it was just important to give the kids a morning filled with joy and fun.Â
  Â
We then departed back to the hotel for lunch and prepared for our second game of the trip against Alajuela. As we pulled into the facility, a dense cloud cover began to form. We started the game strong, with a goal coming off a nice set piece served in by Andrew Lawrence. The service made its way over the crowd of players to the back post where it was finished off with an athletic diving header by Zack Compton. Alajuela soon equalized within the next few minutes, and the clouds overhead soon began to dump thick and heavy raindrops. The half ended 1-1. As the second half begins, distant lighting strikes grow closer and closer. Soon, a couple of strikes land nearby and the game is called off, finishing 1-1.
We then showered and headed up to Tiquicia, a restaurant perched on the top of a nearby mountain. We were served a buffet of the most incredible local foods, including empanadas, rice and chicken, shredded pork, plantains, potatoes and grilled vegetables. To finish, we ate delicious balls of sugared coconut. After the meal, the restaurant treated us to a show, including traditional dancers. They went through an entire routine, ending with the dancers pulling in some of the guys from the team into the dance circle. The guys tried their best, but could only produce goofy dance moves that would make one question if they had ever danced before. The night ended with the cloud cover clearing out, providing an incredible view of the valley below.
Blog of Tuesday, May 16, by Ben Chapal and Andrew Lawrence
Day 3 was another day of internal reflection. In the midst of enjoying time with kids less fortunate, you can't help but realize all you take for granted. There's a realization that even without so much that we have, happiness is still possible and prevalent. It seemed like we were doing the kids a favor, and although we were, the pleasure was ours. There was a content silence on the bus afterwards because everyone was grounded by the experience. On a lighter note, our game against Alajuelense was quite the experience. After a well-managed first half, the intensity rose in the second. Not only soccer-wise, but the weather as well. There was one particular lightning strike that was so close that everyone knew the game was over. It was actually funny because everyone knew immediately. At dinner I was called up to dance with the Costa Rican dancers. I pretty much panicked but I did my best. Day 3 was by far the most eventful day.
Blog of Tuesday, May 16, by Ryan Enriquez
Match Report from head coach Mathes Mennell - L.D. Alajuelense (traditional powerhouse in Costa Rica)
UNC Asheville First XI:  Dakotah Bainter (GK), Trenton Klatte, Hayden Poell, Zack Compton, Kyle Adams, Dino Dziergas, Austin Howard, Andrew Lawrence (Capt), Carter Phillips,  Luke Manring and Brandon Millington
1st Half Highlights: The game started with UNC Asheville on the front foot as the Bulldogs were much more active in pressing the L.D. Alajuelense defense. Luke Manring had the best early chance but saw his effort from 12 yards scream over the crossbar. The Bulldogs followed this up with a superb mazy run by Dino Dziergas that featured several crowd-pleasing dribbles before finally resulting in a sharp save by the GK of the home side. The Bulldog goal came from a free kick that Andrew Lawrence served into the box and Brandon Millington outjumped the oncoming GK to head the ball to the far post were Zack Compton scored on a diving header. Â
The lead lasted barely a minute as the Bulldogs had some miscommunication which led to a breakaway that Dakotah Bainter was unable to keep out of the net.
The Bulldogs immediately took back control of the match and the momentum with several chances highlighted by an excellent effort from the top of the box that went just wide of the post from Frank Morales in the 34th-minute.
The end of the half was marked by an impressive rainstorm that continued well into the break.
UNC Asheville 2nd Half XI: Â Tyler Moore (GK), Ryan Enriquez, Zack Compton, Hayden Poell, Sam Holton, Frank Morales, Joe LaCasto, Jackson Allen, Ben Chapal, Richie Lee, Brendan O'Dowd
2nd Half Highlights: The second half only lasted eight minutes as the rainstorm abated only to turn into an impressive and active lightning storm. Due to the severity of the storm, the game was called due to concerns over safety for the players and spectators.
Head Coach Mathes Mennell offered the following thoughts after the match:  "I thought we were much more attacking-minded today. We created good chances and our lead was well-deserved. The goal came from a simple lack of communication, which is frustrating but something I don't think we will see again anytime soon. I hate that we had to call the game, but the safety of the players has to be number one, and to be fair, this was one of the more impressive storms I have seen in person."
Zack Compton was selected as the Costa Rica Soccer Tours Man of the Match.
More From the UNC Asheville Men's Soccer Trip to Costa Rica
Day Two Blog and Photos
Day One Blog and Photos
UNC Asheville Excited for "Once in a Lifetime Opportunity" (Story ahead of trip to Costa Rica)
Instagram Video of Dancing by Millington
Today we woke up and had another incredible breakfast at the Wyndham hotel. We then departed to the city and visited El Mantial, a school for children with broken homes where many of the kids have abusive parents or parents struggling with substance abuse. The woman that runs the school (Ana Maritsa) has so much love and passion for what she does, and even though the children are in bad situations, they are lucky to have a role model like her in their lives. The school aims to teach the children to live the right way and encourages them to pursue education and escape the bad neighborhood in which they live. The older children were in class, so we played with the younger kids, who were aged about 4-6. They were so excited to get attention, as many of them don't get any at home. They climbed on our shoulders and yelled ¡Caballito! ¡Caballito! (rocking horse, merry go-round) as we ran around and gave them rides. It was an incredibly exhausting and rewarding experience, but it was just important to give the kids a morning filled with joy and fun.Â
  Â
We then departed back to the hotel for lunch and prepared for our second game of the trip against Alajuela. As we pulled into the facility, a dense cloud cover began to form. We started the game strong, with a goal coming off a nice set piece served in by Andrew Lawrence. The service made its way over the crowd of players to the back post where it was finished off with an athletic diving header by Zack Compton. Alajuela soon equalized within the next few minutes, and the clouds overhead soon began to dump thick and heavy raindrops. The half ended 1-1. As the second half begins, distant lighting strikes grow closer and closer. Soon, a couple of strikes land nearby and the game is called off, finishing 1-1.
We then showered and headed up to Tiquicia, a restaurant perched on the top of a nearby mountain. We were served a buffet of the most incredible local foods, including empanadas, rice and chicken, shredded pork, plantains, potatoes and grilled vegetables. To finish, we ate delicious balls of sugared coconut. After the meal, the restaurant treated us to a show, including traditional dancers. They went through an entire routine, ending with the dancers pulling in some of the guys from the team into the dance circle. The guys tried their best, but could only produce goofy dance moves that would make one question if they had ever danced before. The night ended with the cloud cover clearing out, providing an incredible view of the valley below.
Blog of Tuesday, May 16, by Ben Chapal and Andrew Lawrence
Day 3 was another day of internal reflection. In the midst of enjoying time with kids less fortunate, you can't help but realize all you take for granted. There's a realization that even without so much that we have, happiness is still possible and prevalent. It seemed like we were doing the kids a favor, and although we were, the pleasure was ours. There was a content silence on the bus afterwards because everyone was grounded by the experience. On a lighter note, our game against Alajuelense was quite the experience. After a well-managed first half, the intensity rose in the second. Not only soccer-wise, but the weather as well. There was one particular lightning strike that was so close that everyone knew the game was over. It was actually funny because everyone knew immediately. At dinner I was called up to dance with the Costa Rican dancers. I pretty much panicked but I did my best. Day 3 was by far the most eventful day.
Blog of Tuesday, May 16, by Ryan Enriquez
Match Report from head coach Mathes Mennell - L.D. Alajuelense (traditional powerhouse in Costa Rica)
UNC Asheville First XI:  Dakotah Bainter (GK), Trenton Klatte, Hayden Poell, Zack Compton, Kyle Adams, Dino Dziergas, Austin Howard, Andrew Lawrence (Capt), Carter Phillips,  Luke Manring and Brandon Millington
1st Half Highlights: The game started with UNC Asheville on the front foot as the Bulldogs were much more active in pressing the L.D. Alajuelense defense. Luke Manring had the best early chance but saw his effort from 12 yards scream over the crossbar. The Bulldogs followed this up with a superb mazy run by Dino Dziergas that featured several crowd-pleasing dribbles before finally resulting in a sharp save by the GK of the home side. The Bulldog goal came from a free kick that Andrew Lawrence served into the box and Brandon Millington outjumped the oncoming GK to head the ball to the far post were Zack Compton scored on a diving header. Â
The lead lasted barely a minute as the Bulldogs had some miscommunication which led to a breakaway that Dakotah Bainter was unable to keep out of the net.
The Bulldogs immediately took back control of the match and the momentum with several chances highlighted by an excellent effort from the top of the box that went just wide of the post from Frank Morales in the 34th-minute.
The end of the half was marked by an impressive rainstorm that continued well into the break.
UNC Asheville 2nd Half XI: Â Tyler Moore (GK), Ryan Enriquez, Zack Compton, Hayden Poell, Sam Holton, Frank Morales, Joe LaCasto, Jackson Allen, Ben Chapal, Richie Lee, Brendan O'Dowd
2nd Half Highlights: The second half only lasted eight minutes as the rainstorm abated only to turn into an impressive and active lightning storm. Due to the severity of the storm, the game was called due to concerns over safety for the players and spectators.
Head Coach Mathes Mennell offered the following thoughts after the match:  "I thought we were much more attacking-minded today. We created good chances and our lead was well-deserved. The goal came from a simple lack of communication, which is frustrating but something I don't think we will see again anytime soon. I hate that we had to call the game, but the safety of the players has to be number one, and to be fair, this was one of the more impressive storms I have seen in person."
Zack Compton was selected as the Costa Rica Soccer Tours Man of the Match.
More From the UNC Asheville Men's Soccer Trip to Costa Rica
Day Two Blog and Photos
Day One Blog and Photos
UNC Asheville Excited for "Once in a Lifetime Opportunity" (Story ahead of trip to Costa Rica)
Players Mentioned
D
/ Men's Soccer
F
/ Men's Soccer
GK
/ Men's Soccer
MF
/ Men's Soccer
D
/ Men's Soccer
F
/ Men's Soccer
D
/ Men's Soccer
MF
/ Men's Soccer
D
/ Men's Soccer
MF
/ Men's Soccer
MF
/ Men's Soccer
MF
/ Men's Soccer
MF
/ Men's Soccer
D
/ Men's Soccer
GK
/ Men's Soccer
MF
/ Men's Soccer
MF
/ Men's Soccer
MF
/ Men's Soccer
D
/ Men's SoccerHighlights || Men's Soccer || #2 UNC Asheville at #1 High Point (Big South Championship)
Monday, November 13
Highlights || Men's Soccer || #2 UNC Asheville vs #3 Winthrop (Big South Championship Semifinal)
Monday, November 06
Highlights || Men's Soccer || UNC Asheville vs USC Upstate
Monday, November 06
Highlights || Men's Soccer || UNC Asheville at Winthrop
Monday, October 30