KEENE, N.H. - The Keene State College women's soccer team kicks off their 2026 regular season tomorrow, but over the team's offseason over the summer 21 student athletes from the team, along with members of their families, and the team's coaching staff had the opportunity to travel overseas to Italy for eight full days of exploring the country, combined with a pair of games against local teams.
The Owls kicked off their trip departing from JFK on June 20, where they then arrived in Rome in the morning of June 21 and made their way to Pompeii for a guided tour of the archaeological site before their stay at Hotel Towers in Castellammare di Stabia near Sorrento, before their first Italian dinner together.
The team's second day in Italy was some athletes' favorite part of the trip as the team kicked off the day with a ferry from Sorrento to Positano where they had a professionally guided tour of the town where they were able to have lunch before heading to their next ferry to the Amalfi Coast for another guided visit of the town. "One of my favorite parts of the trip was visiting the Amalfi Coast," said junior midfielder and team captain Kaylee Cormier. "The views were incredible, the food was amazing, and getting to see a different culture was something I'll always remember." After the team enjoyed the sights of Amalfi, they traveled back to their hotel for dinner at Castellammare di Stabia to rest up before their training session in the morning.
Day three for the Owls kicked off after breakfast at their hotel with an 8:00 AM bus to their training session at the training facilities of MP San Giorgio in San Giorgio a Cremano, Naples. Following their training session, the Owls headed back to Pompeii for a pizza-making experience with an expert chef at Tiberius for two hours, where they created their own Italian pizzas. The remainder of the day the team had free time to explore Sorrento on their own for leisure, shopping, and dinner at local restaurants of their choice before heading back to their hotel for their final night staying in Castellammare di Stabia.
The team departed Castellammare di Stabia in the morning of day four and after the trek east, they arrived in Alberobello, where the team had lunch and took a guided tour of the area known for its traditional trulli houses. "Our trip to Italy was such an amazing experience! Getting to see all of the beautiful sights and landmarks that Italy has to offer and doing it all with my team was so much fun," said sophomore midfielder Mikayla Ryan, who echoed what most of the team said on how they enjoyed the tours and sightseeing across the country. After the team's tour in Alberbello, they made a quick stop in Ostuni ("The White City") before heading to Cisternino for a typical local meat dinner which included the famous "Bombette" specialty at a local restaurant. The team wrapped their night up after dinner by making the trip to their first of three nights at 8piuhotel in Lecce.
June 25th was the team's fifth day of their trip and first game day as they were set to take on Fasano Calcio at 8:00 PM. After breakfast, Owls started their day off with a tour of Castello Monaci, where the team was able to explore the castle, gardens, park, and elegant historic rooms of the charming historic estate located in the heart of the Salento countryside. Following their tour, the group enjoyed a wine and food tasting for lunch before heading back to Lecce for a tour of the city that is famous for its golden stone architecture and vibrant Salento atmosphere. At 6:30 the team departed for their first of two games on the trip as they traveled to take on Fasano Calcio at a local sport center in Fasano. The Owls dominated in the contest, coming away with the 3-0 victory as Elizabeth Tschudin and Claire Halligan both netted a goal in the first half for the 2-0 lead at the break, with Keely Giordano and Mariella Tsitsonis each recording an assist on the goals. Tsitsonis and Halligan accounted for another goal again in the second half as Tsitsonis scored from Halligan for the extra insurance goal. Following the Owls' 3-0 victory, and before the group headed back to their hotel in Lecce, both teams enjoyed dinner together, which a lot of members of the Owls' team said was a highlight of their trip, "One of my favorite memories was having dinner with the Italian team after our first match and getting to connect with them off the field," said senior defender Elise Saab.
The team departed their hotel for a guided visit of Otranto on the morning of day six, where they were shown around the historic seaside town before having lunch on their own at a local restaurant. Following their lunch in Otranto, everybody transferred to Porto Cesareo Beach, which is one of the most famous beaches on the Apulia west coast, where the team enjoyed a few hours on the sea. At 7:00 PM the team ate dinner at Teranga Bay Beach, a local beach restaurant, in the arch of the boot of Italy, before returning for their final night in Lecce.
Following an early breakfast on the morning of day seven, the team made the three-plus hour trip back west as they made their way to Matera to explore the UNESCO World Heritage site famous for its ancient "Sassi" cave dwellings. The team had a 11:00 AM guided tour of the city before having lunch and then heading five hours back to Rome for their first of their two nights at their hotel, Barcelò Roma, to rest up before their last full day in Italy.
The Owls' final full day of their trip was one of the busiest of the entire trip as the team kicked off their day with a guided tour of Rome for a few hours before their tour of the Colosseum and Roman Forum later at 1:45 PM. Rome was also a highlight of the trip for many on the team, "The Amalfi Coast was definitely my favorite part of the trip, and exploring Rome was just as amazing," said Saab. After a long day exploring the city, the team made their way to Sport Center di Via do Tor Bella Monaca, where they faced off against RES Donna Roma for their second and final game of the trip.
Playing three 20-minute periods in the heat, the Owls came away with the 2-0 victory with Tschudin feeding Kylie Rapoza for the opening goal of the contest in the first period. After a scoreless second period by both teams, Owls' head coach Sarah Testo motivated the team telling them they would, "Come home from Italy without allowing a goal," and the team did just that. With the combination of Hannah Verville and Allison Gough splitting 30 minutes apiece in net, along with the Owls' defense holding strong, Kayla DiPasquale assisted Ryan for the insurance goal to secure the 2-0 victory and shut out both opponents on the trip.
Being a senior defender and All-LEC selection a season ago, Saab emphasized how their strong defense was the cherry on top for the amazing trip, "Traveling to Italy with my Keene State soccer team was an unforgettable experience that combined incredible sightseeing with the sport I love. To top it all off, we won both of our games and earned shutouts in each, making the experience even more special."
Just as the Owls had done after their first game a few days before, they had dinner after their second game with RES Donna Roma, as members of the Owls' team, like Ryan, continued to point out how much they enjoyed the experience to connect with people and enjoy dinner together after playing, "Playing soccer in another country and making friends with the other teams was something I will never forget and am so grateful to have been a part of! I had such a blast on this trip and would do it again in a heartbeat!" After dinner the Owls returned back to Barcelò Roma for their final night in Italy before their early flight back home to the states to enjoy the rest of their summer.
The team's Italy trip was one that many have said they won't forget, from not only the experiences, but how much the team's play made it even more enjoyable "Being able to represent Keene State College while playing soccer in another country was such an awesome opportunity. Finishing the trip with two wins as a team made it even more memorable. It's definitely a trip I'll never forget," said Cormier. Of the 21 members of the team that made the trip over to Italy, it was the first time leaving the country for a handful of them, like Cormier, "I am so grateful I had the chance to go to Italy. It was my first time traveling outside of the country, and getting to experience it with my teammates made it even more special."
The Owls will look to continue their momentum from their games in Italy as they kick off their 2026 regular season on the road at Emerson College on Tuesday, September 1, at 6:00 PM, before returning home for the first Denise Lyons '90 Kickoff Classic on Labor Day weekend with KSC hosting Wentworth Institute of Technology on September 5, and Gordon College on September 6.
