Day 9: USA vs. Sweden U-20

It was an early morning for the WNT as they boarded a bus for Stockholm at 7am. Once they arrived at the gym, they got dressed and had to warm-up most of the way in the hallway as the court was being used.

Although it was an extremely quick warm-up on the court, the WNT focused on coming out strong in the first half. They were very successful in taking a lead early-on and staying within a few goals of Sweden throughout the first thirty minutes. At half-time, the WNT had the game in reach with a score of 11-12.

In the second half, the WNT struggled to maintain the close score. With team captain Tomuke Ebuwei out of the game after a red-card in the first half, the WNT struggled with the energy to keep the pace. Several two-minute penalties riddled the half and at one point the US was down to four court players while Sweden continued to push their fast-break. It was a disappointing end for the USA with a final score of 32-18.

Immediately after the game, the WNT packed into the bus with the Swedish team to head to another gym where Sweden U-20 would play a second game. The WNT took the opportunity to shower and grab lunch at the second gym before watching the Swedes win their second game of the day against a Division 1 club team.

After that game, it was back to the stadium to watch Russia, Croatia, the Ukraine, and Sweden in the European Championship.

The first game found Croatia vs. the Ukraine, with a very exciting and close match. Croatia won by one point with a goal in the last two seconds of the game!

The second game was Russia vs. Sweden, and after a strong performance by Sweden in the first match on Thursday, it was a bit disappointing to see them lose by so many points. The final score was a disappointing 30-15.

When the games were over, the WNT took a bus back to Vasteras where they quickly got ready for their last night on the town. The whole team enjoyed a fabulous meal at a local restaurant thanks to Dawn Lewis and her husband Mark who sponsored the dinner.

After a leisurely and delicious dinner, the players were offered the oppotunity to join Goran and some of the Vasteras club players at a local hot-spot called "The Blue Moon." Despite a long line that wrapped around the building, Goran had called ahead and gotten VIP treatment for the WNT players, who stepped right through the rope without waiting.

Whether they went home to pack and get some rest, or whether they stayed out enjoying a night on the town- it was a short night for the members of the WNT as they boarded a bus for the airport at 5:00am on Sunday morning.