GO RED STORM!!
Okay, now that I have your attention…
St. John’s University has a men’s soccer team that is rankednumber four in the nation. That’s higher than schools like NotreDame (6) and North Carolina (9). This Saturday, they will host aquarterfinal Big East game at Belson Stadium at 5 p.m. againstVillanova.
As someone who has gone to all of the soccer home games, it iseasy to see that the team already has a dedicated group of fans whocheer for them at every game. However, they could use some morestudents decked out in red and ready to yell. For those of you whodon’t see the point in taking the time to go, here are some reasonswhy you should.
10 – Free T-Shirts
We’re all college students. Therefore, we automatically loveanything with the word “free” in it. If you go to the soccer games,you usually have a chance to get some free stuff, including a shirtfrom the School Spirit Committee. It’s red and will be perfect forsupporting St. John’s in the future. If you’re lucky enough to getone, just be careful when you wash it. They run quite a bit. Ihand-washed mine last weekend and put them on towels to dry. Theshirt left some nice pinkish stains on them.
9 – To See What All of the Fuss is About
Since Belson Stadium opened two years ago, everyone has beenhearing plenty about it. There’s a good reason for that. It’s abeautiful stadium that really is something to see. I know that itis definitely a lot better than the Rutgers soccer stadium. Plus,at Belson, we’re allowed to be mean to the opposing team, whereasat Rutgers it’s only “positive reinforcement.” Because of all this,Belson provides a great atmosphere for the games.
8 – To Support Your School
St. John’s University is your school. You should feel pride inyour school and should have no fear about wearing a red sweatshirtthat says SJU on it. Going out to support the soccer team is agreat way to support your school. True, not everyone is in tosoccer, but it is still worth a shot. You could be surprised tofind out that it actually is a lot of fun.
7 – The Pep Band
I love pep and I love bands, so the pep band has to be on thelist. They provide nice cheery music as the fans walk into thestadium and keep the energy up the entire time. If something goodhappens at any point during the game, you can count on the pep bandbeing there to provide the music. You’ll be tapping your foot andbopping your head to their music no matter how much you try toavoid it.
6 – The Opposing Team’s Goalie
Seeing the goalie from the opposing team may seem like a veryunusual reason for attending a St. John’s University soccer game,but anyone who has already been to a game knows what I’m talkingabout. Our student section has become notorious for badgering thegoalies. As much as the fans may enjoy this, the goalie usuallydoesn’t. They have been known to say choice words, flash certaingestures and do other things to show their anger. Going to thegames can be interesting just to see what they might do.
5 – It’s a Big East Tournament Game
The Big East is full of great teams and always provides sometough competition. Since this is a tournament game, you know theRed Storm will have to play very hard against Villanova. It willmake for a game with a lot of action as two teams battle to advanceto the next level.
4 – Cheering by the Fans
Liz Salogob, the chair of the School Spirit Committee, alongwith committee members like Krista Barry (also The Torch’s photoeditor) and Natalie Rohan, spent one evening making signs that hada special saying for each player on them. Some of these sayings areridiculously amusing. My personal favorites are “UnstopaBill” forgoalie Bill Gaudette, “We Ain’t Lyin’, We Love Ryan” for Ryan Kellyand “Kick some ASHley” in honor of Ashley Kozicki. You can’t helpbut crack a smile when you hear these. They are funny, creative anddefinitely add a special something to the games.
3 – The Seniors
Chris Wingert, Angel Rodriguez, Tim O’Neill, Guy Hertz and MatiaDamiani have put in four great years at St. John’s. They don’t havevery many more games left with the Red Storm so you’re running outof opportunities to see them play. Their presence will be missed atBelson and they deserve a good send off.
2 – Simone Salinno
Simone Salinno is a senior midfielder who has scored 11 goalsthis season, the highest on the team. It seems like every time youread a press release on www.redstormsports.com, you end up readingabout him scoring yet another goal. He is having a phenomenalseason this year. It’s great to go to the games and see if he’lladd another goal to that number.
1 – The Team
Our men’s soccer team is a group of really nice guys. Theygenuinely appreciate the student support that they get. The teamhas worked hard this season so they should be rewarded with a solidwall of red in the bleachers and plenty of screaming fans.
So, take a break Saturday and head over to Belson Stadium tosupport the Red Storm. Be sure to wear red and don’t forget tobring your screaming power.
Jessica Lyons is a senior majoring in journalism who can befound at Belson Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 8. Send comments to
