CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – Lesley University women's soccer rising seniors Isabella Vidana (San Marcos, Calif.) and Jackie Berard (Coventry,R.I.) took off this past Friday to Costa Rica for Beyond Sports' Third Annual Costa Rica Soccer Tour.
The duo joins a team of all-conference honorees and statistical leaders from colleges across the country to take on Costa Rica's professional and top club soccer teams.
Vidana finished second on the team with eight goals and 17 total points from the midfield while Berard earned Second Team honors from the New England Collegiate Conference following a year in which she went 14-2-0 with seven shutouts and a .909 save percentage in between the pipes for the Lynx in 2014.
In addition to the competition component of the trip, athletes will also provide sports clinics for Costa Rican youth. One clinic will be held at a local school in San Jose, and another will be in partnership with Special Olympics of Costa Rica.
The group will visit Manuel Antonio National Park and Volcano Arenal during the tour with opportunities to zip-line through the rainforest, learn to surf, and encounter wildlife such as monkeys, sloths, toucans and iguanas.
Beyond Sports, founded in 2010, is the first study abroad program designed specifically for student-athletes. To date, they have hosted athletes from over 140 different colleges across the country through summer, Jan-term and semester programs in Costa Rica.
The teams from the United States will return state-side on May 30th.