“It was another full day in Gulu,” said Westmont women’s soccer assistant coach Dan Ribbens who is traveling with the Warriors during their trip to Africa.

“The team split into two different groups and visited two refugee camps outside of Gulu,” continued Ribbens. The camps are a result of a 20-year-old civil war in Northern Uganda. “At both camps, we put on soccer clinics with the children. There were kids everywhere. After the clinic, our players were able to sit underneath some trees, talk with some of the refugees and share their faith.

“It has been quite an emotional day,” said Warrior head coach Rebecca Mouw of the Westmont women’s soccer team’s first full day in Gulu, Uganda. “We got up a 5:45 a.m. so that we could run with the invisible children.”

Due to fear of abduction, the children of the area around Gulu do not spend nights in their homes. Instead, they sleep in shelters overnight and then return to their homes during the day. Called ‘invisible children’ or ‘night travelers’, the practice is a result of 20 years of civil war in northern Uganda.

The Westmont women’s soccer team has made its way from Kampala to Gulu in northern Uganda.

“Everything happens at a different pace here and we got started later than we expected,” reported assistant coach Dan Ribbens, “but we made the trip without any problems. The local saying here is that Americans keep the time and Africans have the time.”

Two-thirds of the way into the five or six hour trip from Kampala to Gulu, the Westmont team crossed the Nile. “We crossed at an area where there was white water rafting and it was quite impressive,” said Ribbens. “We also found a profound culture change on the other side of the Nile. Kampala is a large city, but northern Uganda is much more tribal. Very few people from the outside come to Gulu. When we told people in Kampala that we were going to Gulu, they responded by saying they never go to Gulu.

On their second day in Kampala, Uganda, the Westmont women’s soccer team had opportunities for both ministry and for their first soccer match.

In the morning, the team visited with kids in a youth prison. The original plan was to play a soccer game with them, but it didn’t work out to do so. Instead, Westmont players visited with the kids. Several players had opportunities to share their testimonies of their faith in Christ.

Westmont women’s soccer has arrived safely in Nairobi and made their way to Kampala, Uganda on the north shore of Lake Victoria. Unfortunately, about 25 pieces of their luggage did not arrive at the same time as the team. However, all but four pieces have since caught up.

After a morning practice, the Warriors made their way into the suburban slums of Kampala.

After reaching the NAIA final four last November, Westmont women’s soccer is planning on a return trip to Olathe, Kansas and a shot at their sixth national championship. This year’s road map, however, calls for a detour through Africa at the start of the season.

Mission to Africa
On August 5, the Warriors depart Santa Barbara and travel to Uganda, Rwanda and Kenya. The Westmont squad will meet up in Nairobi, Kenya with the Good News Team — a group of Ugandan nationals who work for the Sports Outreach Institute (SOI). Former Westmont soccer coach Russ Carr (1966-1982) is the president and founder of SOI and has been instrumental in putting together the Warriors’ trip to Africa.

The purpose of SOI, according to their mission statement, is “to identify and train committed Christian leadership in the effective use and understanding of sports ministry.” Outreach trips to Africa and Mexico, as well as ministries in America’s inner cities help to achieve that goal.

Westmont women’s soccer head coach Rebecca Mouw has released the 2006 schedule and announced five new recruits set to join the team this fall. Among the entering freshmen are two local high school players, Caitlin McDermott of Santa Barbara and Brenna Zimmerman of San Marcos. Both were All-CIF Southern Section Division II first team selections.

“If I had to pick one word to describe Caitlin,” said Mouw, “it would be ‘gamer’. She is competitive and when it comes down to the wire, she will do whatever it takes to get the job done. Whether it’s going up front and scoring goals, getting an assist on an overtime goal, or stepping in the goal during a shoot out, she can do whatever needs to be done to win. That classifies a Westmont women’s soccer player.”

[2006 schedule]

By Kevin Kihlstrom
Sports Information Intern

Anna Gropp, Westmont Women’s soccer standout, and Anna Stumbo, Westmont Women’s Cross Country sensation were honored at the Santa Barbara Athletic Round Table Hall of Fame Banquet. They were honored as college division athletes of the year for their respective sports.

Anna Gropp, a junior for the Westmont midfield has been very important for the team and will be serving as a captain next year. Coach Rebecca Mouw said, “She is a very strong leader on and off the field.” While playing she is very vocal which is a great attribute for a person playing center midfield. Mouw added, “She does a good job holding her teammates accountable to work hard in everything they are doing.”