College of the Canyons hosted its annual soccer alumni games on Saturday, and the current men’s and women’s players battled it out against their successors.
Athletes, coaches, friends, and family came together to witness the competitive spark come to life on the field. Some alumni returned to their alma mater with new families, which made the spirit of reconnection all the more sentimental.
As for the coaches, seeing their athletes’ growth is a feeling they’ll never forget.
“It’s nice to see when they come back and to see them five years, ten years, fifteen years later, and they still have those friendships, they’re still playing,” said COC women’s head soccer coach Justin Lundin.
“It’s neat to come back and to see how the families have expanded and how… they’re bringing their little kids out to jump in the games and stuff,” said Lundin
Some athletes at the event say it’s the college’s local feel that keeps them coming back to the event every year.
“If you look across the years, it’s a pretty traditional team,” said COC men’s soccer coach Philip Marcellin.
“It’s a place where the kids who come up through the youth program in this community have a place to shine and grow,” said Marcellin.
It’s very much a homegrown program, and I’m happy that it’s been that way,” added Marcellin.
COC hopes this tradition will grow each year to keep the bond between the past and the present alive and well. Officials want to create an environment where the athletes believe that at the end of the day, it doesn’t matter which jersey they’re wearing. They all stand on the Canyon’s home field as one.
