Last night was a busy night for our JCU Soccer Teams! All the teams played their first away matches of the Spring 2018 semester.

Here’s a quick recap:

WOMEN’S SOCCER:

What a great night for our unstoppable Lady Gladiators!

Yesterday, our Women’s Soccer team played their first away game of the semester against the Progetto Fiumicino team in the 13th edition of the Universities of Rome Championship. It was an epic game, which saw our Lady Gladiators imposing their dominance since the beginning for a final result of 2-10.

Not even 5 minutes into the game that our Lady Gladiators immediately gained the upper hand with Diana Fantauzzi scoring the first goal. From that moment on, our incredible players turned into a goal machine and kept scoring one goal after the other with Taylor Greene, Maria Martynovych, and Sarah Castellano.

Progetto Fiumicino attempted to perform a come back by scoring two goals during the game, but there was nothing to do for the opposing team which, in the end, surrendered to our ladies’ powerful soccer skills and tactics.

Congratulations, Lady Gladiators! And congratulations to coach Paolo Farina! Off to next game!

                     

While our Lady Gladiators were busy playing against the PF team, both of our male soccer teams were also playing their Universities-of-Rome-Championship away matches against the Foro Italico University.

MEN’S SOCCER 11 VS 11:

The JCU Men’s Soccer team lost 1-0 to the Foro Italico. However, it was a good game, and our Gladiators played really well. They fought really hard until the very last minute of the game, proving to be a well-cohesive team that can definitely grow with more practice.

From this semester, our Men’s Soccer coach Riccardo Concari has also decided to elect the Most Valuable Player (MVP) in every match. And the MVP from last night game is Fernando Royuela! About Fernando, the coach said, “Fernando paid great attention to his position from the very first minutes. He was always able to move on the field at the right time. He was very altruist and generous towards his fellow Gladiators on the field. In the second half, he made the decision to take full responsibility for the entire team, stimulating his companions with continuous advancements on the midfield. Only some muscle cramps forced him to stop towards the end of the game.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

So congrats, Fernando! You definitely deserved this award!

And good job everyone! Even though you did not win this game, you demonstrated great athletic skills and team spirit that will help you face the next game with more determination!

MEN’S SOCCER 5 VS 5:

Last but not least, it is also worth mentioning our Men’s Futsal team. Our Gladiators played against the Foro Italico University team, but unfortunately, they lost 7-1.

In the beginning, our Gladiators tried not to let the Foro Italico prevail, closing the first half 2-0.
However, in the second half, there was nothing to do for our Gladiators. But don’t worry, Gladiators! This was only the first game, and you will have plenty of time to come back! Don’t let one lost game bring you down, but work hard and get ready for the next one!