Final Thoughts...Keith Buckley

It was quite a trip, two cities, four universities, the world’s fastest train, wonders of the world, history, culture global icons. I was quite apprehensive about all of the logistics but with the help of Wesley the trip went off without any hitches. The games were competitive, Beijing Sport University gave us the toughest test. Matt Bauchle played very well as did Dennis Chin, Kevin Boone and Jack Clifford.

China is definitely a country that is moving forward very rapidly. The financial district of Shanghai is quite incredible, especially at night time when all the skyscrapers are lit up. Beijing is more orderly, but the pollution means that the sun is invisible. It was a shame that Thomas Biddinger and Stephen Wright were injured, but it was good to see Chris Cummings and Jack Clifford back on the filed.
Now we are back it is taking a while to get everything into perspective. I am sure as time goes on everyone will appreciate the experience and enjoy the memories.

Final Thoughts...Tres Loch

After the experiences we had on our trip, I am certain that none of us will ever be the same. The same could be said for China for that matter. Truly an unforgettable cultural adventure that we will all cherish for the rest of our lives. For me, one of the best experiences was visiting the Great Wall of China and learning about its construction and its history. A group of us climbed to the highest point of the wall that we could see, sometimes scaling up extrememly steep inclines and centruy old steps. The view from the top was breathtaking, looking down over the beautiful countryside and green mountainous terrain. Another great experience was attending a Chinese Premier League soccer game. We paid 50 Yuan ($7) for spectacular seats- about 15 rows up in the lower bowl, smack in the middle of a group of passionate Chinese fans who taught us all of the chants during the game. The atmosphere was incredible- 100,000 seat stadium -probably about half full with energetic soccer fans and banners waving- on a very comfortable warm Beijing evening. Biggest dissappointment... not a single Fortune Cookie.

Trip to the Great Wall

Game photos vs. Beihan University Aeronautical Engineering

More from Paul...the zoo and the Birds Nest

Paul Giannotti - trainer, friend, father, photographer

From the Training Room...Update from Paul Giannotti

We spent today touring some of the most historical sites in China, beginning with Tiananmen Square, the largest public square in the world, which can hold one million people. This year marks the 20th anniversary of the 1989 protests. There will be a parade later this month.
After walking the length of the square - about 1000 meters, we entered through the first of many gates on our way to the Forbidden City which was the home of the Emperor. This was a city within a city, really with many buildings, bridges and pathways all dedicated to the Emperor. Historically the "average person" was not even allowed in the Forbidden City. Interestingly, there were no plants in here...all brick and concrete...to keep out the invaders and assassins.

After lunch, we visited the Temple of Heaven, where the Emperor would go to pray for a good harvest.

The afternoon included some great shopping experiences at a large market...just about anything could be had...for just about any price!

We concluded the evening with a trip to watch a Chinese professional soccer league match. The stadium was huge - at least 80,000; and the crowd was spirited. The home team came out on top, and it was quite a festive atmosphere.

We are looking forward to the match with Beijing Sport University today, who is regarded as one of the top 3 University teams in China, and will likely provide our toughest competition yet!

From Keith Buckley

We have been in Beijing for four days now. We lost the game yesterday 3-1 . The game was played on astroturf which was a bit of a surprise. We played well but did not create enough chances. Matt Bauchle and Kevin Boone did very well. We are now getting injuries. Thomas Biddinger flew home on Monday with a broken foot. Jake Deloach and Ryan Maleknia have both been sick and Stephen Wright has reinjured his ankle and will not play any more on the trip. Everyone is getting tired but the spirits are high. Today we went to Beijing Zoo and to the Olympic stadium. It was very impressive; they get over 90,000 visitors a day. On Sunday we went to a Chinese professional soccer game. Over 40,000 people were there, it was a very interesting game. The hotel is very good, it is in the financial district of Beijing. It is very busy. The service once again has been very good - the tour guide has taken quite a shine to Declan.
We play our final game tomorrow and then on our last day we go to the Great Wall of China.

Back Online

Dear Rollins Soccer Blog Readers,

Due to unforeseen internet issues in China, the Rollins Soccer blog was not able to be updated over the holiday weekend. Fortunately, a contingency plan was in place and the blog will now be updated with information and photos for the remainder of the trip. Thank you for your patience.

Friday, May 22nd. Day 4.

We beat East China Normal University 6-0 today. They were not very good at all, obviously.

More updates later.

Coach and Player Responses so far.

After 3 and a half days in China, here are some responses from 3 men on our trip.

Paul Gianotti:

“Based on last season, I didn’t think we could make it through 4 matches without an injury, and today we proved we couldn’t even make through one…unfortunately Biddie suffered a fracture of the 5th metatarsal in his left foot. This is a common injury that occurs when an athlete lands on the outer portion of the foot, almost as if going to sprain the ankle, but the force is directly on the long bone on the outermost edge of the foot, causing it to crack. We did (with the help of our great tour guides Wesley and Annie) manage to get some very prompt, professional and accurate service at one of the best hospitals in Shangai, that is associated with one of the best Universities in China – Huashan Hospital for Fudan University.
The system is set up that there are private international clinics that are very expensive, but also, in the large hospitals, there is an international outpatient department that is set up and run much like hospitals/clinics in the U.S.; albeit more efficient and cheaper. Within 75 minutes of arriving at the hospital, he was checked in, x-rayed, consulted with a doctor and we paid and checked out! All by a competent staff who spoke English. The only real “out of the ordinary” part of the experience was after receiving the orders for the x-ray in the international part of the hospital, we did have to be transported outside across the walkway to the traditional radiology department that also serviced the Chinese patients. It was here that upon the radiologist opening the door to allow Biddie out following the x-ray, the next porter and patient and his family all just charged into the room and proceeded to climb on the x-ray table right next to Biddie as he was placing his brace back on his foot and gathering up his crutches…interesting…all in all, though we are disappointed for Biddie to miss the remaining games, but glad he had a good experience at the hospital and that he can continue to enjoy the sights and sounds of China with us on the rest of the trip.”

Keith Buckley:

"We are now in our third day of our trip, it has been an interesting experience for all involved. Today we played our first game against Tongsi University. The game was very fast and physical in the first half. Dennis Chin scored our first goal. The second half lacked the energy of the first half and we scored two more goals both by Nick Sowers. In the first half Thomas Biddinger broke his foot. He fell awkwardly after heading the ball.
The hotel is excellent, the staff are extremely helpful and friendly. Our two guides Wesley and Annie have been very good. Annie's English is outstanding. We have not encountered many issues - the taxi drivers do not speak English, some of the players don't like the food very much and Paul Nagy keeps sleepwalking which makes sleeping difficult for his room mate."

Tres Loch:

Tres here putting in my two cents representing the alumni on the trip. So far so good from my perspective, it’s been a tremendous experience for us all. The boys have represented our school, sport and country with great pride.

Interacting with the Chinese people has been quite extraordinary. Declan and I went for a run through the streets of Shanghai on our first evening here and we received some very interesting looks from the locals. I'm not sure they had ever seen a ginger that big dodging in and out of traffic with such nimble poise.

The service we have received from everyone has been first class. Our guides Annie and Wesley (their English names) have been remarkable. They have done a great job (with what they've had to work with) teaching us their language. "Ni How" (hello) "Zao" (good morning) and "Shi Shi" (thank you- unless you're Declan, then it's pronounced "Sushi") is as much as we have mastered.

Our experience at Tong Ji University was unforgettable. Visiting the impressive campus, learning about life as a student in China, and competing against a top Chinese University was all very nice, but it paled in comparison to listening to Dr. Keith Buckley deliver an impromptu speech over loud speaker in front of both teams, athletic department representatives and students- in Mandarin. Coming soon to a YouTube near you...

We've got a fantastic day ahead of us with what looks like the best weather we've had yet. After our game today we'll spend our last night in Shanghai. Tomorrow we'll fly to Beijing to continue our tour.

Dennis Chin- Regarding the first game:

"The game against Tongji University was one of the most physical games I have played in. They cover their soccer disadvantages by playing physical. They will throw their elbows and arms to block you off and try to hit you in the face. Their style of play was very technical. They lacked explosiveness, never looking dangerous. They were also weak in the back and up front. Their midfield was their strongest point. The referee was overly biased against us, making foul calls primarily against our team. Anyways, I enjoyed the experience and I look forward to our next three games."

Thursday, May 21st. Day 3.

Here is a description of our first game day in China.

We arrived at Tongji University at 10:00 A.M or so, and spent a good amount of time wandering around the field area. We eventually started to practice at around 11:00. We practiced for about an hour just to loosen up, then we proceeded to a convenient store to have "lunch."

After "lunch," we headed back to the field. We took a small tour of the campus, which most people were very impressed by. The campus library was 20 stories high, which puts the Rollins library to shame. The academic buildings were very large and were designed in unique ways.

After the tour, we headed back to field. We changed in the away locker room, where we put on our brand new away kits. The players were excited to finally put on a uniform other than the standard yellows.

Before the game began, there was a 30 minute ceremony in which Tongji University welcomed us. Also, Keith gave a speech, in which he spoke some fluent Chinese. Well, it sounded fine to us. The Chinese may have thought differently.




After the ceremony, the game was underway.

The Chinese team came out pretty aggressive, and we were impressed at first. Their midfielders were playing great through balls and they had some good chances early on. Chris Cummings made some good saves early on, which helped us eventually take over the momentum.


Dennis Chin got the scoring started, taking a ball from Nick Sowers and placing it in the lower right hand corner past the opposing goalie. Chinny did a little dance, and the Chinese crowd seemed to like Chinny a lot. No matter where we play, the crowd is always a Chinny fan it seems.




After our first goal, Tonji University stepped up the physicality. Chinny got elbowed in the mouth and several other players received minor injuries from flailing Chinese arms. When Biddy went up for a header, he came down hard and we learned later that he broke his foot. This is unfortunate because Biddy is one of our better players, and a co-captain.

The first half was plagued with poor referee decisions and more physical play. Jake Deloach and Matt Bauchle-Mcfarland got yellow cards. Nobody was surprised to see this happen.




The second half started off with yet another terrible referee call. Jake played a through ball to Sowers, who was cleared fouled inside the box. The ref spotted th ball a yard outside, and we did not convert the free kick. At this point we realized that we were not going to get any calls. We can't even get calls at Rollins, so how could we expect to get them in China?

Sowers scored two goals early in the second half, which sealed the victory.

Midway through the second half the Chinese opposition essentially gave up. We were able to knock the ball around and keep possession to hold on to our 3-0 lead. The game ended 3-0, but it could have easily been 5-0 or 6-0. Everybody on the team got a chance to play substantial minutes, but the Alumni did not receive any playing time. We are awaiting the game where they get in.

After the game, we went back to the hotel. Most people on the team took advantage of what our 5 star hotel has to offer. People jumped into the infinity style pool, then went into the steam room to clear out the pores. After a long while in the steam rooms, people used to showers within the spa area. After everyone got their spa fix, we went out for authentic Chinese dinner for the third night in a row.

The dinner has gotten better each night. Tonight we had steamed rice, fried beef, kung pao chicken, spicy and sour soup, french fries, spinach and possibly some dog. The dinner was excellent.

Overall, day 3 turned out to be a blast. We are now officially undefeated in China, and we plan on keeping it that way.