By Matt Fulkerson/sports editor
The damp and chilly weather had little effect on SE Campus’ 6-on-6 soccer tournament April 5 as the eight teams faced off for the first time.
Susan FC annihilated Manchester United in a 20-4 blowout. Promiseland encountered little difficulty as it defeated Real TC, 9-3. Bayern Munich held its own against the Bulls, 7-6, and Los Apaches knocked back Argentina-Mexico, 7-6.
For Victor Gonzalez of Bayern Munich, the goal of the day was to have some fun.
“I love playing soccer,” he said. “I wanted to come out and enjoy the sport with other students and have a good time.”
However, Bayern Munich team captain Godwin Ezguwu saw the game in a more serious light as he often expressed frustration with his team on the field.
Preston Baker of Bayern Munich sided with Gonzalez in his view of the tournament.
“I’m not sure why some of these guys are getting so frustrated and yelling,” he said. “We’re supposed to be having fun.”
As their game wore on, Ezguwu began to lighten up with his team and took things a little more in stride.
“They’re a good team,” Ezguwu said. “I wasn’t playing my best today either.”
Ezguwu was recovering from an injury to his knee last weekend and credits his issues on the field to a slower-than-expected recovery.
“I was hoping that it would be better by today, and I think it will be next week, but if it’s not, I know these guys can pull us through.”
Luis Milliotto of Arg-Mex has been playing soccer for as long as he can remember but can’t pinpoint what specifically attracts him to the sport.
“I just love soccer,” he said. “I can’t generalize anything about what draws me to it. I love everything about it.”
SE health and physical education instructor Evelyn Parkhurst knew about the popularity of soccer but wasn’t prepared for the crossover appeal when she scheduled the soccer tournament to overlap with the basketball finals on SE.
“We had a bunch of guys that came straight from basketball to soccer,” she said. “I didn’t think any of the basketball guys would be interested in soccer when I scheduled the tournament. I’ll definitely take that into consideration next year.”
While the April 5 games were seen as a chance to have fun by many of the players, things will get serious April 12 during the single-elimination tournament. The first game begins at 9:30 a.m., and the final is scheduled for 1:30 p.m.
