This past Sunday, on the 28th of September, there was a soccer tournament in one of the many Santo Tomas Futbal Tournaments that are held monthly. This was a special tournament in that it was the week of the village celebrating their 72nd Anniversary. It was also special for the People of Peru Project team because three of their staff members: Casey Han, Aaron Lynfoot, and Eden Yoon played for Los Galvancitos (The Gavalant Boys). A team that wasn´t originally going to play but got together last week courageously played ad reached the finals
After playing in an exciting game last week, where both defenses were great holding each other scoreless Los Galvancitos won by penalty kicks 5-3. The semifinal game, in what was an exhausting game due to the hot, scorching sun ended in a win for the Galvancitos scoring two goals in the last ten minutes of the game. Unfortunately, the championship game did not end with the same results that brought the Galvancitos to the final. With the Galvancitos having to play right after the semifinal against a team with fresh legs, they couldn’t keep up. After surviving the first half, the opposing team scored a goal in which our amazing goalkeeper who had save after save couldn’t block that one. The match, ended 0-1.
However, the atmosphere afterwards was optimistic. A team that got together last minute made it to the championship. Remember, a team with three Americans from People of Project who really never played soccer against people that have been playing soccer their whole lives faired pretty well. Aaron, Casey, and Eden shared the same positive sentiments that the tournament was just the start of something great. It was a great tournament, where we were able make friends with the friendly residents of Santo Tomas, learn about team work, and show off great sportsmanship. With just a few practices and a couple more games, the Galvancitos have a bright future.
