I’ve never played soccer.
That didn’t matter when community and academic associate Ashley Dong asked who would play in a local tournament. As an athlete, I immediately signed up. I didn’t know what to expect.
On Saturday morning, after meeting with my instructor, J.A. Adande, I ran two miles to the Evanston Unity Soccer Festival. When I arrived, already out of breath, Dong put me right in the game.
I quickly realized my inexperience wasn’t a problem. Our first matchup was against a group of elementary schoolers. Two matches later, our group of 12 played a team of grown men who could very well be semi-professional players. When not in the game, I stood on the sidelines shouting chants like “We are cherubs!” and “I believe that we will win!”
Each team exhibited sportsmanship — even high-fiving the opponents after goals. Every game ended with a handshake line between sides.
Between matches, my teammates and I danced to upbeat music blasting from the nearby DJ booth. Some of us made friends with vendors and strangers, resulting in free blue Gatorade.
Tournament rules called for no score keeping or refereeing. But we did come away with a prize: a golden trophy of a soccer ball, a cleat and a misspelled engraving proclaiming us “Unity Festival Best Newcommer 2025.” The shiny metal cup is now prominently displayed in the Jones Hall great room, where Cherub F.C. team members repeatedly walk by to kiss it. Despite the comical spelling error, or maybe in part because of it, it’s a reminder of the day we became champions.
