On Aug. 4, Taylor women’s soccer left Indiana for Buenos Aires, Argentina.
The team partnered with Infinity Global Sports, an agency that provides opportunities for sports teams in South American countries. Their aim is to combine “elite competition, cultural immersion, and personal development.”
Throughout the trip, Taylor participated in two practices and competed in three games. They rivaled Argentinian teams, gaining practical experience playing together after adding 10 freshmen and a transfer to the team.
“It put them (the freshmen) into an environment where they got to bond with each other,” head coach Scott Stan said. “But it wasn’t the really vigorous preseason soccer testing, which is highly competitive sometimes.”
Senior defender Campbell Massey said the team did a good job intermingling between grades, rather than staying in cliques. Inclusiveness demonstrated a solid team culture for the freshmen.
“I felt like I had been part of the team for a year,” freshman midfielder Isabella Suloff said.
Suloff said it can be difficult to not view teammates as opponents — especially when a team is about three-girls-deep at every position — but the trip showed there was no room for jealousy on the Taylor team. Even after facing competitive Argentinian opponents, the Trojans had an opportunity to show love instead.
Partnering with a ministry called Word of Life, Taylor players had the opportunity to share their testimonies with the Argentinian teams following the matches.
Word of Life missionaries translated the testimonies and offered a gospel presentation using a soccer ball with five colors – black representing sin, red for the blood of Jesus, white for His cleansing of our sin, green for spiritual growth and yellow for heavenly eternity He offers to all believers.
Suloff estimated 15 people showed interest in pursuing a relationship with Jesus Christ, and Stan added that an Argentinian coach committed to following Christ. Ministry leaders are already following up with discipleship.
Taylor also found ministry opportunities beyond the field.
The girls built relationships with their three tour guides over the course of the nine-day trip, and conversations about faith were evident.
“That was a mission in and of itself,” Massey said. “Simply asking, ‘What do you believe in? Why do you believe what you believe?’ That was really cool.”
Suloff was raised Catholic and is fluent in Spanish. She said this gave her easy connection points with the tour guides, especially those with Catholic backgrounds. One tour guide was agnostic, claiming that if God does exist, he is unable to be known.
When the team concluded the trip with prayer, he became emotional, saying there was something different about the Taylor group that he didn’t understand.
“I truly believe that was the Holy Spirit working in him,” Suloff said. “Planting the seed alone made the trip worth it in my opinion. I hope and pray they (the tour guides) continue to seek and be curious.”
The Trojans were also given the opportunity to plant seeds at an orphanage outside of Buenos Aires, as well as serve at a local school.
At the orphanage, soccer bridged the language barrier for most players. Toys and sports connected the group right away. At the school, players painted, completed grounds work and naturally, played soccer.
Massey said their interactions with the children were “sweet, but also tender.”
Sightseeing and other outings bonded the team. The Trojans toured the city, saw local markets, visited coffee shops, tried new foods and even learned how to tango dance.
“I think being in Argentina got me really excited for the season,” Massey said, entering her last campaign with the Trojans. “Any sport, not just soccer, brings people together and brings so much joy. It can also bring so much pain and suffering, but ultimately, it brings community.”
After a 10-hour flight and a short drive from the airport, the girls returned to Upland on Aug. 13. The Trojans continued to practice, preparing for the season’s commencement against non-conference Missouri Baptist on Aug. 22. Taylor claimed the victory, outshooting the Spartans with a 5-0 final.
“I don’t know that missing an entire week of preseason got us more ready,” Stan said. “We’re probably less ready than we might be normally for the soccer end of it, but that’s the physical side. I don’t know that that always trumps the spiritual side.”
