The moment for all of our Soccer Teams to make their first debut on the field finally came.

On Wednesday, September 26th, JCU Women’s Soccer 5vs5, JCU Men’s Soccer 5vs5, and JCU Men’s Soccer 11vs11 took the field in three friendly matches. The 5-vs-5 teams both faced The American University of Rome, while the 11-vs-11 team played against TCR.

The first impressions about our three teams were positive, but there is definitely room for improvement.

Now let’s take a closer look about what happened in the three matches!

WOMEN’S SOCCER 5vs5
We have always known that our Lady Gladiators never let us down, and this first game proves it again. JCU defeated AUR with a huge score difference, winning 6-1.

Being the first game, our ladies immediately showed great skills on the field. “I definitely had very good impressions about these girls’ play,” coach Paolo Farina said. “Of course, we have a lot to improve, especially the new entries who still need to learn better the positions and how to move on 5-vs-5 soccer field, but this is a great start, and I am happy!”

Beside the victory, Paolo’s goal for this first game was also that of showing to our new Lady Gladiators the team spirit and the willingness to always give one’s best on the field. And we think you succeeded,Paolo! So congratulations, and congrats to our ladies for their first victory!

MEN’S SOCCER 5vs5
Good first impressions also for our JCU Men’s Soccere 5vs5 team. Although JCU lost against AUR 1-3, our Gladiators showed good game skills on the field.

“I really liked both the perfomance of the individual players and the team as a whole because despite we were losing, no one gave up, and they fought until the end,” coach Manuel Franceschi said.

Then he continued, “I also really appreciated that all the players acted as a real team from the beginning of the game, considering that they have been playing together for only one week. They all supported each other in every moment of the game.”

Indeed, for the most part, our Men’s Soccer 5vs5 team is composed of many new players, but they immediately gave proof of being a cohesive team on the field. And this is definitely an excellent starting point!

We look forward to seeing you all in action in the Universities of Rome Championship!

Good job, Gladiators! Keep it up!

MEN’S SOCCER 11vs11
A friendly game for our Men’s Soccer team, as well, saw JCU kneeled down to the opposing team.

“I don’t give too much attention to last-night game,” goalkeepr coach Ion Marian said. “It was not important to win or lose. In my opinion, the team is a work-in-progress. There is a lot to work on, We have just started, so we didn’t have enough time to work on the tehcnical aspects.”

Then Ion adds, “However, I was impressed by the team predispositions to commitment and sacrifice. I saw discipline in our players and willingness to improve.”

And this is what we need to see when the game starts to get tougher. So good job, Gladiators! And work on!