A soccer-friendly improvement is planned for the turf field, campus soccer aficionados say.
Nearly one-hundred fifty students signed up to play intramural soccer this spring. That is one of the reasons why SGA recently motioned to allocate $2,000 towards the purchase of a new soccer goal for the turf field.
For the past year, only two goals have been available for use, since weather-related damage made the old goals unusable, causing scheduling restrictions for intramural soccer games and limiting dual soccer practices.
James Walters, director of student recreation, proposed funding new soccer goals at a recent weekly SGA meeting.
He spoke of SGA’s relationship with intramural sports.
“SGA has always been a strong supporter of the intramural sports program at Saint Vincent,” Walters said.
He added that while intramurals do not typically ask for additional funds, the new soccer goals will allow for two games to be played simultaneously.
Hector Koch, a junior SGA representative, motioned for the proposed purchase. Koch was a two-year member of the men’s soccer team and is a referee for intramural soccer.
Koch stated why he supported this motion.
“[SGA] represent[s] the students, and the students love playing intramural soccer. And this is something that will last the school a long time,” Koch
said.
SGA will fund one goal, while additional funds will be taken from the men’s soccer budget for the second one.
Each goal will cost approximately $2,600, according to Walters. Intramural sports are a partnership with SGA and are funded by its budget.
The $2,000 will be taken from SGA’s non-allocated funds - which is any remaining money that has not been allocated to the other partnerships.
Walters said that the $2,000 was “simply not in [the intramural] budget this year.”
Carl DeiCas, head coach of the men’s soccer team, said that the two additional goals will benefit both the men’s and women’s soccer teams, in addition to intramural sports.
According to DeiCas, in current conditions, the men’s and women’s soccer teams cannot practice at the same time while both playing standard two-goal games.
Delfine Bredniak, a senior communication major, was the intramural soccer commissioner for two years. He commented on the proposed addition to intramural sports.
Having only two goals, Bredniak said, made scheduling games more difficult resulting in less games in which students can participate.
“Hopefully [the new goals] will get more students active with intramural sports, because the more activity for the students on campus the better,” he said.
Photo: SVC Athletics