The intramural soccer playoffs are set to begin this week as the first round of men’s open action begins. Next week, play will begin for the co-rec, fraternity and women’s open leagues. The men’s open tournament as well as the co-rec tournament feature over 50 teams and will run well into November.
The games are played with seven players per team on the field rather than the 11 of traditional soccer. Brad Frenier, a senior in business management said although the game is condensed, play on the field does not suffer.
“The fields are smaller, and you play with less guys, but it’s still the same game,” Frenier said. “Your strategy out there can change a little bit, but you play just like you would during any other match. It is just a smaller, shorter version of a high school game.”
Each tournament has been bracketed, and teams will have the opportunity to compete against each other for the title. In the tournaments, teams are eliminated after one loss so competition can be intense.
Rick Palmieri, coordinator for intramural sports, said most of the players take it very seriously.
“We see some pretty serious competition during the games, especially in the men’s open and fraternity leagues,” Palmieri said. “But that is not to take away from the other leagues. They are pretty competitive as well.”
Frenier, who plays in the men’s open league, expects a high level of competitivness on the field.
“Most of the guys playing in this tournament played in high school and take it very seriously,” Frenier said. “You have guys out there yelling at each other, and it can get pretty physical.”
Mallory Herbold, a senior in biology, said her women’s open team is out there to just have fun.
“The competition is good, but I’m out there to have fun,” Herbold said. “I think that it would be pretty cool if we can win, but if we don’t it’s not a big deal. We will have fun either way.”
Unlike flag football or basketball, there is no national tournament in which the winners of the intramural soccer tournament can advance. According to Palmieri, Campus Recreation tries to make the final match of the tournaments a championship-like atmosphere because there is no national tournament.
“For the final matches of the tournament, we want to create a championship-like atmosphere,” Palmieri said. “The IM department will set up a tent, bring out speakers and play music before and during the halftimes of the games. We also plan to make sure the fields are freshly painted and in good shape.”
Members of the winning teams of each tournament receive a T-shirt from the IM department emblazoned with “Intramural Champions,” a prize worth competing for according to Frenier.
“Those T-shirts are like gold,” Frenier said. “Everybody is out there to get one because everyone wants to win. We all want one of those fresh T’s.”
