We made it!
After a 2.5 hour bus ride from Duluth to Minneapolis, the 2009 University of Minnesota Duluth soccer squad successfully boarded its 7:15 p.m. plane at Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport destined for the Denver International Airport. The plane landed, right on time, in Denver at 8:30 p.m., Mountain time, with an ensuing 30-minute bus ride to the hotel (Comfort Inn-Downtown Denver) completing the Bulldogs' long day of travel to the Mile High City. Weather consistent with Duluth's (comfortable mid-50s) upon the team's Wednesday afternoon departure from UMD, greeted the NSIC/U.S. Bank Tournament champs in Colorado's capital.
A large portion of the team enjoyed a late meal at the Hard Rock Cafe (located mere blocks from the team's hotel), offering up an opportunity for relaxation before the mentally and physically-grueling process of preparing for an NCAA playoff game begins. The sole prep-training session scheduled for the squad is slated for Thursday afternoon at 1:00 p.m. local time, on Auraria Field (located on the campus of Metro State College, the hosts of this Central Region first round match up with conference rival Minnesota State).
The mood amongst the 21 pitchsters is relaxed, yet focused -- this outside observer gets the sense that each player fully understands the task at hand.
Followers are reminded that a video feed of Friday afternoon's game will be broadcast free of charge, via Penn Atlantic. The link for the feed can be found here. On top of that, a live, in-game blog of UMD's second NCAA playoff game in team history will be provided. Check out www.umdbulldogs.com for more information and a link to this blog, as the contest draws near.
That's all for now from Denver, check back tomorrow afternoon for pictures of the team's practice session, as well as shots of Auraria Field and other behind-the-scenes highlights and tidbits.
Good Night to All from Denver!
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