A recent Central College graduate and former goalkeeper with the Central College women’s soccer team, Sheila Horstmann is headed to Spain in June for a soccer tour with Beyond Sports.
The trip is invitation only and is offered to the top Division II and III players in the country. Horstmann is one of 42 players going on the 10-day trip to play for three separate teams. The organization Beyond Sports has developed a wide portfolio of immersive, sport-center travel opportunities for American athletes since 2010.
The 10-day experience begins on June 1 with a flight from New York City to Spain. The tour group is set to travel to Madrid, Barcelona and Valencia, playing four matches against high-level Spanish club teams along the way. Horstmann and the rest of the tour group will have the opportunity to see such famous landmarks as the Toledo Cathedral, Barcelona’s Gothic Quarter and Bernabeu Stadium, the home pitch for Real Madrid F.C. of Spain’s professional soccer league.
Horstmann took over as the starting goalkeeper for the Dutch in her final season with the program and went 9-6-3. She tied a school record with eight shutouts, making 93 saves over the 18-game season.
The Central women’s soccer program has previously sent three former players to Costa Rica on a similar trip with Beyond Sports. As a team, the Dutch went to the Netherlands and Germany over spring break.