On April 23rd, a sunny Sunday afternoon, foreign exchange students and SIECA members had their very first soccer match. After a 90-minute intense game, Team 1 narrowly won the match with an 8 to 7 score. 

 

Before the game, foreign exchange students and SIECA members were randomly arranged into two teams of eight. Although they have never played with each other before, all players cooperated well on the court. Team 1 launched several attacks on Team 2 early on in the game, but all shots were blocked by the post. 15 minutes into the game, team one made a slight mistake in the backfield. Team 2 seized the opportunity and scored the first goal of the match. 5 minutes later, Hasan helped team 2 extended the lead into 2-0. Paul headed home Felton’s cross at the 27th minute, reducing the margin to 2-1, which greatly encouraged Team 1. They scored four more goals during the first half of the game while Team 2 managed to score another one as well. 

 

The second half of the game started with the score 5-3. Two goals behind, team 2 started to take a more aggressive approach. Making 3 goals in 20 minutes, team 2 retook the lead. The intensity of the game kept to the very end. Just when the match was about to end with a 7-7 draw, Team 1 scored at the last minute and won the game with narrow margin.

 

A SIECA football match is unique in that it is the only occasion where one can hear seven languages spoken on the court. Spectators could heard Chinese, English, French, German, Korean, Hindu or Uighur every now and then. Asked how they communicate on court, exchange student Simon replied: “We communicate with feet and hands.” Indeed, as he said, football is the universal language, and a pat on the shoulder, a round of applaud after scoring is more than enough. 

 

Anna Miley, the only female player of the game said she had a great time. “The two teams are at equal level and the score is very close. This is a good game,” said Anna. Korean exchange student Haekyun said it was the first soccer game he had since he came to Nanjing University. 

 

After the game, many exchange students and SIECA members lingered on the court to talk to each other. Many of them expressed willingness to participate in more sports activities of this sort. Besides players, spectators also had a great time watching the competitive game. We are all looking forward to more of them in the near future. 

 

Author: Wu Yinuo