The first part of the Universities of Rome Championship can’t end in a better way than with two amazing victories of our JCU Men’s Soccer and Women’s 5vs5 Soccer teams last night.

MEN’S SOCCER
JCU Men’s Soccer team shows again to be serious this year, and our Gladiators are putting all their hard work to chase the long-awaited first Championship Title. The level of the tournament is quite high, and it’s not going be easy, but there is grounds to hope for excellent results as JCU has also proved in last-night game against Università degli Studi di Roma 3 (UR3), winning 5-3.

JCU sets a pressing game from the first minutes, which puts R3U in a situation of disadvantage. In the first part, JCU has a few occasions to score but without any successful results. A foul in the opponents’ area earned by Lanzafame unblocks the situation who earns and scores a powerful penalty kick. Few minutes later, Lanzafame replicates and scores another amazing goal, while our goalkeeper Sabelli is able to block a penalty kick by R3U, leading JCU to gain the advantage for 2-0 at the end of the first half.

JCU also starts off strong in the second half and keeps scoring thanks to Ottati and a double by Ortega. On a 4-0 result, however, our Gladiators begin to lose control of the game, and a few moments of inattention allow the opponents to score, taking the final results to 5-3.

“The evaluation of this first part of the Season is definitely a positive one,” coach Concari comments. “The team has shown steady commitment during the trainings and the games. Of course, there are still a few things on which we have to improve, but we are on the right path.”

“This was a semester full of emotions. We have created an amazing group who have been able to remain close even in front of difficult moments. I hope that we are all aware that we have just placed the first brick of our home, a home that we will still need to build in the future months,” goalkeeper coach Marian also adds.

All the determination and hard work is definitely paying off. JCU currently sits at the top of the ranking of the Championship. I think that we can all enjoy our Christmas break now and be ready for the second part of the Season where you will need to prove us even more what you are capable of if you want to keep winning!

MVP – Gabriele Lanzafame

WOMEN’S 5vs5 SOCCER
JCU Women’s 5vs5 Soccer team finally has their first victory last night against Polo Didattico Bambin Gesù (PDG), a new entry in the Championship.

Our Lady Gladiators finally show their teeth and take home a remarkable victory, 15-1.

A one-way game that sees JCU dominate from the first minutes. In the first half, JCU is already winning 7-0 thanks to Ramos Yetsko‘s (3), Burns‘ (2), Spigai‘s (1), and Ciulli‘s (1) goals.

In the second half, our Lady Gladiators double the score thanks to Torp (2), Burns (2), Spigai (2) and Ciulli (1).

“We played well even though the team we faced didn’t give us much troubl,” coach Farina comments. “We honored the game until the end, and I want to thank all the girls who were part of the team for this semester. I hope that we can create a cohesive team for next semesterm, too!”

Congratulations, ladies! Now get some rest, and for those of you who are staying, we’ll see you next semester ready to face a great second part of the Season together!

MVP – Moellyn Ramos Yetsko