By TERRY BRLAS

Strongsville Post editor

Lindsey Gallagher always wanted to see Italy. She just didn't know it would be representing her country in international soccer competition.

The 2009 Strongsville High School graduate and Tiffin University goalkeeper was chosen along with other young women throughout the country to play in matches throughout Italy this summer. The USA women's team went undefeated and did not surrender a goal on their 10-day trip.

Gallagher, a junior majoring in forensic science and homeland security, has played the game since she was four. Her four-year high school career included a state championship her freshman season and state runner-ups her junior and senior years.

USA Athletes International, a non-profit organization dedicated to giving amateur athletes and coaches the opportunity to participate in international Olympic-style sporting events, contacted Gallagher last summer about the possibility of representing her country abroad.

"I was pretty excited when I got word," Gallagher said. "I had other offers in high school, but I passed them up because I didn't know if they were legit or the timing wasn't right. There were a lot of e-mails back and forth to find out more about this one. I'm Irish-Italian. Italy is one place I really wanted to visit. We got the chance to see all the famous places like the Colosseum and the Leaning Tower of Pisa."

Gallagher and the rest of her teammates began the excursion in Milan in the northern part of Italy and traveled to the southern part of the country during the 10-day trip.

The women's team traveled with the men's team on this same trip. Italy is one of the hotbeds of soccer throughout the world. Gallagher found out this is the case for men, but not so much for women.

"The people there want the women to dance. They don't want them to play soccer," Gallagher said. "The women don't try out, they just get on teams because there aren't that many that play."

The style of play is different in Italy than what Gallagher is used to here in the states.

"Their play was different than ours," she said. "They wanted to control the ball with quick passes. They didn't believe in contact. We had a lot of fouls on us. One ref told us if you had the intention of harming a player it was a foul. The game was constantly stopping due to fouls. It didn't affect me so much as a goalie, but it was frustrating to watch."

The American squad just had enough players to field a team. There were a couple of times when Italian players joined team USA to give a player a breather. When an Italian player did join the American team the language barrier became evident.

"Occasionally you would come across one player that knew English, but not very often," Gallagher said. "We had an Italian player as a defender one time and I was trying to direct her. She didn't' understand what I was trying to tell her. It was bad."

The American and Italian teams would have dinner together after the games. The language difference was still a problem, as the Italian coaches did not know English.

The accommodations in which team USA stayed were very nice according to Gallagher.

"The first hotel we stayed at was really modern," she said. "One of them was old-fashioned and that was cool to see."

One of the most memorable instances of the trip was a co-ed game played against local players. It was more of a pick-up game than one that was scheduled. It was played in the northern part of the country.

Gallagher was a little worried what her older brothers would think because they never got to have an experience like this. It turned out they were her two of her biggest supporters. She would take this type of opportunity again in a heartbeat. It's certainly an experience she soon won't forget.

Gallagher, who also spent some time in Costa Rica this summer, will continue her travels. She will be flying to Brazil on Aug. 14 for college pre-season training. Paula Fantini, head women's soccer coach at Tiffin University, is Brazilian.

"I've always wanted to experience playing in another country," she said. "I know a lot of people don't have this opportunity. I'll never forget it. It's a once in a lifetime experience."