While many cherubs were snuggled up in their warm beds, some were en route to the Evanston Unity Soccer Festival to kick a soccer ball and make some memories.
The festival is an annual tournament that hosts pickup games between teams from across the Evanston area and beyond. Cole Reynolds, a community and academic associate, knew about the annual tournament and decided to take a group of cherubs there.
“I always really wanted to play in it, but I never had a team,” Reynolds said.
An added bonus was the pouring rain that didn’t stop for the more than three hours the cherubs attended the tournament. Cherubs trudged through the wet turf, their cleats filling with water. Yet they continued to play, keeping in good spirits even during the 40-minute walk back to campus.
“The conditions weren’t ideal, but, in a lot of ways, that helped us form greater unity as cherubs,” Tomas Moran of Wheaton, Illinois, said.
Through the tournament, many who attended grew closer to peers with whom they hadn’t yet connected.
“There were definitely a couple of people who I hadn’t really talked to before the tournament, so it was really great to get to know them a little more,” Lucy McWeeny of Williamstown, Massachusetts, said.
The festival also was a fundraiser raising money for scholarships. Moran said the tournament showcased this community aspect of Evanston, with students stopping at local food vendors after playing.
Sid Sivaraman of Bexley, Ohio, said he appreciated having more people to play soccer with.
“I’m glad that I played soccer with others rather than practicing on my own,” Sivaraman said.
