Bound for Spain

Oshkosh - Soccer knows no gender, race, nor religion.

"I'd like to think world peace will be achieved instantly, but sports is a great way to get people together," says Walter Howard.

Soccer doesn't have a universal language neither.

"One of the great things is soccer is soccer and that's what we're going to see even going over to a foreign country," says Sean Steele.

That country is Spain, and on July 3rd the Wisconsin International Under-14 girls soccer team will descend on San Sebastian, not knowing how to converse with the natives.

"I know hola and that's it," says forward Rachael Bennett.

"I did take Spanish, but I wasn't the most focused student," says teammate Hannah Mauk.

The group of 16 girls will represent the state at the Donosti Cup. Last year the tournament featured 250 teams from 35 countries.

"It's kind of hard to say (what the) expectations (will be) because we don't know any of the teams or how they're going to be," says Bennett. "We have no idea how they're going to be compared to us."

The ten-day trip won't be cheap, but sponsors and fund-raisers have kept the expenses low for the girls on the team.

"We're able to get this group over for a reasonable price," says Howard, the team's organizer. "Once they get to Europe they only pay 400 dollars per kids for the week, tournament, room and board."

The Wisconsin team will play at least three games in a round robin tournament format in Spain. But, it's the experience of checking out a foreign country that excites them most.

"Do you have any abroad experience?"

"No, not really," says Mauk. "I think I went to Canada once for like five seconds, but nothing like this."

Win or lose, this group of girls will likely never forget the memories of playing soccer in Spain.