Gulls Defeat Scots for the First Time Ever

“It's always hard to watch the team lose whoever we play,” said Senior Kellen Kasiguran, “but losing to Endicott had a special sting to it.”

The Gordon’s Men’s Soccer Team has never lost a game to the Gulls of Endicott until now.  On Wednesday October 3^rd, on their home turf, the Scots were faced with the reality of a devastating 5-2 loss to their biggest rivals, the Gulls.  And this, only days after the Scots celebrated their great win over Nichols at 3-2 on Saturday, September 29^th.  What was the cause of this great upset?  How will the Scot’s bounce back?

This season has been a rough one for men’s soccer at Gordon.  With an overall record of 3 wins, 7 losses and 1 tie so far, the increasing amount of injuries to the team has been a great barrier to their success.  Former starter Kellen Kasiguran ’13 has red-shirted this season due to a knee injury, starting goalie Ryan Coil ’13 is out after breaking both his tibia and fibula and a variety of other injuries have left many of the Scots’ first-string players on the bench.

“Every game I watch makes me want to play whether we are winning or losing…” said Kasiguran. “It's hard not to be out there battling with all my brothers.” 

The head coach of Endicott’s Men’s Soccer team, Joseph Calabrese, however, was thrilled about the win.  The Scots’ lost-lasted dynasty over the Gulls was finally broken and now the competition will rise.  “Some people have called this a rivalry game. I completely disagreed,” said Calabrese. “Our program had never won a match against the Scots. The Scots have dominated this local rivalry.”

Calabrese said he greatly respects Gordon’s coaching staff. He specifically complimented the organization of the defensive team. But the Gulls have been working hard and it paid off.

“We believe we have a good chance of winning against any team we play,” said Odell. “It typically comes down to execution.”

Senior Captain Ryan Daley ’13, however, does not let the overwhelming amount of injured players or this loss discourage him.  “The loss stings a bit. Yeah, there is the rivalry history. But that does not affect anything else in our season. We lost one game. Now, we move forward.” 

Though the Scots are down many key players, they don’t count the championship out of the question.  With a record of 2-2 for the conference, the men’s season is far from over. 

According to Daley, the Scots have all the talent and potential that they need for the 2012 season.  “I have confidence in our guys. We don't feel bad for ourselves and no one else should feel bad for us.”

The whole team, injured or not, is committed to fighting until the end.  Their confidence is key to their success.  Even after the loss to Endicott, the men kept their heads held high. 

“Despite the loss and disappointment,” said Kasiguran, “there was an air of confidence, and the focus was on what we have to do next to keep moving forward.”

This confidence proved effective during the Scots’ Homecoming game against Wentworth on Saturday, October 6^th.  After a 3-0 win, the Scots’ Men’s Soccer Team may have found for themselves a new resolve.  The question is, can the Scots keep up the motivation without the fan base that they experienced during Homecoming weekend? 

Livin' The Dream

“What are your dreams? How do you want to live and make a difference in God’s kingdom?” 

After my freshman year at Gordon, I entered another summer of fun, family and friends.  But these questions plagued me as I arrived back to start another fall semester at Gordon. I knew God was calling me to go outside my comfort zone, I just didn’t know how far out.  It was only a few months later, during the summer of 2011, that I found myself in a small Italian village, sharing the Gospel with kids through the medium of sports.

“Out serve, out love, out care,” became the motto for my teammates and I throughout Fellowship of Christian Athletes’ nine-week international sports leadership training in Northern Italy over the next summer break. 

A diverse group of 17 interns from around the world, my fellow sports interns and I came together with two common passions: sports and Jesus Christ. Coming from very different backgrounds and cultures, we learned to put aside our personal habits, jump out of our comfort zones and relate to people of all nations in order to reach them for Christ.  John 3.30 became an influential verse for me this summer, “He must become greater; I must become less.” By practicing this discipline in the community of FCA leaders and interns, God has completely transformed my narrow view of the world and His kingdom within it.

I had never been involved in FCA, barely had I ever traveled outside the States and the extent of my foreign language skills did not extend much farther than “Hola, ¿Cómo está usted?”  I soon realized this wouldn’t get me too far were I was headed. 

Bobbio Pellice is a little town in a quiet village, everyday like the one before.  I literally woke up every morning with the song, “Belle,” from Beauty and the Beast, stuck in my head, hearing cowbells chime as their owners made the daily trek to the pastures nestled within the Italian Alps.  I never knew what was to come each day; I only knew that the day before had left me a changed person.  God continued to challenge me in everyway in Italy: spiritually, physically, emotionally and relationally.

I flew to northern Italy and met up with 16 other interns, none of us knew what we had signed up for.  We only knew that we were called by God to use sports for His glory.  After much training (physical, educational and mission-focused) from a variety of internationally diverse Christian sports leaders, we brought our new skills to the European children.  After a few weeks in the Italian valley, using sport as a medium to share the Gospel through camps and clinics, we were split into four small groups and sent to other eastern European countries to spread seed. 

I had never heard of Moldova before. Before I knew it, I was on a plane to this country, which holds the titles of both “the most poverty-stricken country in all of Europe” and “the country with the highest industry for sex trafficking in the world”.  I was terrified. Again, out of our comfort zones, the three other college-age ambassadors and I joined FCA’s global movement for Christ.  

After 60 days of international sports ministry, I did not consider myself the same person.  On the flight back to Boston, I contemplated where God would use me next and how my life would look differently after Impact.  While I continue to ask these questions, God continues to comfort me with his Word spoken through Joshua: “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go” Joshua 1.9.

Ready to step outside your comfort zone?  Sign up for a summer internship or outreach team; it may just change your life. Italy Impact 2013 is now recruiting, for those of you who love sports and God’s Kingdom, I highly recommend it.