Muhlenberg women's soccer rising senior Izzy D'Arienzo had the opportunity to attend a FIFA World Cup game earlier this week at "New York New Jersey Stadium" (normally known as MetLife Stadium), when her Norwegian neighbors offered her a ticket.

Behind two goals from star player Erling Haaland, Norway defeated Senegal, 3-2, making the adventure an enjoyable one despite the rainy weather. Here is what D'Arienzo wrote about the experience:

Attending the Norway vs. Senegal World Cup game at MetLife on Monday was truly an experience of a lifetime.

As a big Haaland fan but Brazil World Cup supporter, I immersed myself into the Norwegian fan culture for a day and learned quite a lot. I was grateful to join my neighbors from Norway and share this experience with them.

Heading to the match, I had people speaking to me on the trains mistaking me as a Norwegian. I had to explain that I was the only one in the group not from Norway! We did the iconic "row
celebration" and I got to learn some of the National Anthem. It was an amazing cultural experience, and I felt very connected with the Norway fans.

The match itself was high energy and kept us on our toes. A late first-half goal from Norway truly brought the crowd to life, with non-stop chants around us. Haaland later scored his first goal to open the second half and Senegal quickly came back within 5 minutes.

Haaland scored again 10 minutes after his first goal. Eventually Senegal scored in stoppage time, but we knew Norway had enough to secure the win.

I am so grateful for experiencing this in person. Nothing compares to the energy, the people, and the memories made that day!