A trip to the Caribbean is always a nice jaunt away from the daily mundane of work or school. Throw in some soccer and community service and the Whitehall girls' soccer team enjoyed one of their most memorable trips ever.

Whitehall girls' coach George Romano had 14 players join him, along with parents and Athletic Director Bob Hartman, from April 26-29 that saw them play against Antigua's U-17 and U-20 women's national teams, as well as do some charity work at the Willkies Primary School.

The convoy got to enjoy Caribbean weather and food by staying on an all-inclusive resort, as well finding some success on the field, as Whitehall's contingent of players scored 4-1 and 5-0 victories respectively over the U-17 and U-20 national teams, who are young programs in the CONCACAF region.

Each player also donated a bag of soccer gear, including balls, cleats, jerseys and equipment to local girls in the community, as well as providing bags of school supplies to children at the Willkies school.

"The idea for this came up when we reached the state finals [in 2012] and we talked about fundraising to get covered benches," said Romano. "But then we talked about going on a trip and we chose Antigua. The experience and camaraderie the girls got from the whole trip was just unbelievable. I wish all the girls in the program could have went."

The visit was an official school trip and was fundraised by the players, as well as some help from official sponsors.

Senior Cassie Schmidt had never been out of the United States, but has officially gotten the travel bug after visiting Antigua.

"It was awesome," said the senior midfielder, who will continue her playing days at Kutztown University. "It was pretty much like paradise. The resort was beautiful, but being able to help the kids there was a great experience."

Schmidt would have loved to stay longer, but the group thankfully left a day before a 5.3 magnitude earthquake hit the region.

Nonetheless, it was a perfect trip that had Whitehall players experience some nerves before they played the national teams at Antigua's sporting complex.

"We were all pretty nervous going into the games," Schmidt said. "Once we started playing, we got into our groove and got more comfortable."

Romano now hopes this can be a relationship that Whitehall and the people of Antigua can forge for years to come, as bi-annual visits, or even trips by the Antiguan teams to the local area have been discussed.

"We were lucky to play against their teams and it was an experience that the girls will always remember," Romano said. "The reception we got down there was great and we hope to do it again."