SAN JOSE, Costa Rica - Hi from San Jose, Costa Rica! This is Ella Manning, class of '25. I'll be writing blogs this week so you can follow Haverford Women's Soccer on our long-awaited trip.

We had a (very) early start this morning, pulling out of Haverford at 4:00 am. At the airport, we ran over to meet Scout and Nora, home from being abroad in Copenhagen. With them back, and Lauren and Liv D rejoining us too, it was great to get the team together (minus Phoebe- feel better!).

After landing in San Jose at 11:38 and then grabbing some groceries, we had lunch on our own. We got to the hotel at about 2:30, so we had a few hours before dinner to hang out by the beautiful pool, play mermaids, or take a nap.

Dinner at Lupulus, on the other side of the city, was delicious. Most of us opted for traditional "casado", a Costa Rican rice, beans, and meat dish. After grabbing ice cream down the road, we headed back to the hotel for an early night. We're excited for game #1 tomorrow!

In honor of finally getting (almost) our whole squad back, the song of the day is: Better Together by Jack Johnson!

Ella Manning '25