Sallyportal: Madly Blogging Reed

Freshlings Trounce Seniors in Soccer Tourney

By Miles Bryan '13 on April 18, 2012 10:54 AM

soccertourney_ii.jpg Emotions rose and fell faster then a rubber ball on a hardwood floor during Reed's annual indoor soccer tournament.

For five hours on Friday, April 13, Reed's strongest soccer players battled for the championship and its rewards: plastic medals bestowed by soccer coach and event organizer Larry Beutler.

The soccer tournament follows on the heels of the March Madness basketball tournament, and takes a similar form; eight teams of six players each square off with round-robin-style elimination.

Coach Larry's meticulous ranking system soon had to be shifted, however, as several players were late, and one team didn't make it at all.

Three teams emerged as formidable contenders: Reed's upperclassmen soccer stars played with seasoned grace as RKSK; freshmen showed unmatched energy as The Freshness, and commons denizens Bon Appetit made a surprisingly strong appearance with the direct (if unimaginative) moniker Bon Appetit.

Three hours and five pizzas (thanks, Larry) later, the tournament narrowed to a final game pitting RKSK against The Freshness. RKSK's Jeff Blum '12, Jake Jones '12, Johannes Harkins '12, and Zach Barron '12 played a strong back game, and gained an early lead with seamless drives down the left flank. But it soon became clear that they were unable to match the zeal of the thesis-free freshmen. The Freshness (Ben Deyoung '15, Luke Hackenberg '15, Dylan Vaughn '15, and Miguel Conner '15) soon retook the lead with a series of aggressive drives down the center, and their overwhelming energy kept them firmly on the offensive for the rest of the game, which they won by a handy 11 to 4.

"The freshmen just outran us" remarked RKSK star Zach Barron '12 after the game. "They were just more fit."

The matches were tense and competitive, but the dominant mood in the gym at the end of the evening was camaraderie as coach Larry proudly gave medals to both teams that made it to the finals.

Tags: class rivalry, soccer, sports, student life