ARCATA, Calif. -- The Cal Poly Humboldt Women's Soccer team has announced that they will be kicking off their preseason with the Humboldt Australia Tour. The team will get the rare opportunity to compete internationally against two Australian clubs, take part in a community service project, and attend two FIFA Women's World Cup matches. The Lumberjacks leave on July 31, arrive in Sydney on August 2, and return home on August 9. 

"This is the first time I've ever done this with the program," stated head coach Grant Landy. "I've always wanted to do international trip with the team and I just felt that the timing was right in regards to get this team on the road and have an incredible experience out of the country. The fact that the World Cup was being played at the same time will give us an opportunity to be apart that event and see the best women's players in the world."

As much as a memorable trip this will be for the Lumberjacks, Landy also sees it as a great chance to get started earlier in preparation for the Fall. After qualifying for the CCAA tournament last season for the first time since 2006 and finishing with a record of 7-5-6, Humboldt has its sights on returning to the tournament with this special group.

"I wouldn't do this with a lot of different teams," said Landy. "This team in particular for me has the components, the leadership, experience and maturity to be able to handle a trip like this. A lot of factors went into this decision. We have more time to train and more time to come together as a group. We will have a shared experience in Australia that I think will be very important to the chemistry of our team."

Cal Poly Humboldt will play friendly matches against semi-pro local teams Sydney Olympic FC and Edge Hill United FC. The Sydney Olympic FC match will take place on August 3 in Sydney and the Edge Hill United FC match will take place on August 7 in Cairns. 

From the stands of the FIFA Women's World Cup, the 'Jacks will get the opportunity to watch France play Panama on August 2 and Netherlands take on South Africa on August 6 in the round of 16. 

"We're just so grateful we get to experience this and have this opportunity to go so far away and watch the World Cup," said Erin Mohr. "We get the chance to get to know each other more while looking up to our role models, it's honestly a dream come true. I've always dreamt of going to the World Cup and it's just amazing that we all get to experience this together."

Per NCAA Division II rules, a team is allowed to play internationally once every four years. Landy further expanded towards the end of the interview on what this means for the team. 

"At the end of the day, just sharing the experience with these guys is going to be something that we're always going to look back on, regardless of what happens in the games. We're always going to say, 'Do you remember that trip we took to Australia and the World Cup?' And that's just so important to me. Do I think it's going to translate over to helping us this year? I'm certainly hopeful." 

The Lumberjacks also plan to host a community service soccer clinic while in Sydney on August 4. The team will be teaching kids soccer skills, allow them to watch and participate in their own training session, and spend time speaking and taking pictures with them to close out the event. 

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