April 13, 2016 Comments 0 Herman Aguilar 2207 Views

Alumni Battle with Knights in First-Ever Soccer Game

Emilio Zarate, class of 2012, intercepts the ball from Harber Elizalde, junior business major, while Isaac Bahena, senior kinesiology major (far left) and Rick Fierro, junior business major (center), look on.

Southwestern’s first annual alumni soccer game took place on Sunday, April 13. Alumni from Southwestern Adventist University had the opportunity to play a soccer match against current Southwestern students.

Recent and past alumni saw the event as a great way for past and current students to get together and share their college memories, while also having some fun on the soccer field.

“I loved the idea of Southwestern having an alumni game because it shows that the University still cares about its past students,” said Samuel Vega, Southwestern graduate of 2014. “It was a lot of fun and I hope I get to participate in it again in the future.”

The game drew a very big crowd, as alumni and current students cheered on their team. After an intense first half, the Knights led 5-3. At half time, both teams went to midfield for a memorable team picture. After a quick water break and pep talk, it was time for the second half to begin.

Although the Alumni created many scoring chances in the second half, it wasn’t enough, as the Knights won the game 7-3.

“Even though we lost, my team and I had a lot of fun playing against the current Knights,” said Erick Solano, Southwestern graduate of 2003. “Next time the alumni will get payback and we will win.”

Luis Negrete, Southwestern’s men’s soccer coach, was very pleased with the event and hopes it’s the first of many. “The game was a huge success and a lot of fun for the students,” said Negrete. “I hope this event is the beginning of many great things to come for Southwestern’s athletic program.”