Language clubs compete in annual soccer tournament

As part of an annual soccer tournament, language clubs competed against each other on Wed., Oct. 8 in a battle for a coveted trophy. The competition between the Spanish, French, Chinese and German clubs started after school on the soccer field, ending with Spanish Club’s victory over French Club in penalty kicks.

The competition has been around for 6 years now, making this the seventh annual soccer tournament. Spanish Club has won every year except for one year when French Club took home the trophy.

“I love having the trophy in my class,” Spanish Club sponsor Greg Shields said. “The one year that the French Club won and took the trophy, I ended up missing it, a lot.”

Although a prize was at stake, according to Shields, the soccer tournament is intended to be friendly.

“The purpose is to get the clubs together and to have fun,” Shields said. “The clubs all deal with a foreign language so they share something.”

According to Chinese Club president senior Vivianne Tu, the event brings more than just an evening of fun for the participants.

“It’s more of a language club kind of family,” Tu said. “That way we can bond.”

Tu said the Spanish Club was the most favored team to win in this year’s tournament.

“Spanish Club will probably win because they’re the one who organizes this event every year,” Tu said. “They have the best players.”

French Club soccer captain junior Fatim Karamoko believed it was significant for her team to win this year.

“We are going to win because Spanish is really cocky,” Karamoko said. “It’s really important for us to win because they win every year.”

The final match between the top two teams, Spanish and French, came to a penalty shoot out when the sprinklers came on, spraying down half of the soccer field. According to Karamoko, French Club’s team will need to improve on their skills to win next year.

“We needed more people on defense and to focus more,” Karamoko said. “We need better communication.”

Spanish Club president senior Carmel Gleason said the event was ultimately a success.

“My favorite memory is when we scored in the last minute of the game,” Gleason said. “These games bring us together.”