As temperatures dipped below freezing at the Near West Fields last Wednesday night, the competition heated up. From Men’s Greek to CoRec, Women’s, and Men’s, Intramural Soccer Champ Night meant the culmination of a season’s worth of hard work and title dreams for 12 teams.
The action didn’t take long to pick up, as Zeta Beta Tau (ZBT) and Fiji went to extra time in the opening game after going scoreless in regulation. Play was back-and-forth until a cross into a crowd in front of the Fiji goal found ZBT’s Will Schmetterer for the golden goal walk-off winner.
“It felt good; we had a lot of energy and we were ready to go full send on that last goal,” Schmetterer said after being dog-piled by teammates. “Sometimes it’s a little serendipitous, but we made the most of it.”
Schmetterer knows a thing or two about making the most of it, as he delivered the championship tally with heavily duct-taped cleats. “I’ve had these for probably four years, maybe five, and they both ripped last game in the semifinals. Decided to duct-tape these bad boys and we were good to go. They might just have been our good luck charm.”
With such a thrilling Champ Night opener, the stage seemed to be set for a night of close contests, however, winners of the next three games outscored their opponents a total of 9-2.
Team Rolefson began this string of decisive victories with a 3-0 decision in Men’s B over the Registered Nurses.
“It’s a great feeling, we’ve worked all year for this,” Team Rolefson player Matthew Trafton said. “Put in blood, sweat, and tears. Been a blast hanging out with some of my best buds on campus and winning some soccer games.”
The streak continued next in Women’s League, as the Hog Badgers defeated Team Delt 2-0, and then in CoRec B as the Zards emerged with the 4-2 victory over the Indoor Kites.
CoRec A brought renewed intensity, as Waukesha SC aimed to cap its four-game playoff run in which it allowed zero goals with a championship win over the Columbus Crew.
The clean sheet for goalie Justin Whorral held true, as Waukesha SC delivered a thrilling 1-0 championship win. Whorral, however, was quick to credit his team with his success.
“It’s because of my center back right here,” Whorral said as he embraced captain Hayden Barth. “He scored the winning goal in the championship and helped me keep the shutout. Let’s gooo!”
The Champ Night finale, Men’s A League, brought another nail biter. Two teams inspired by the famous Spanish club Atletico Madrid, Unathletico Madrid and Pathetico Madrid, clashed for the championship crown.
Unathletico Madrid put up a great fight in spite of its sporting shortcomings, but Pathetico Madrid was an unstoppable force as they completed their undefeated season with a 1-0 win.
Pointing to his newly-earned hardware, Pathetico Madrid captain Kyle Stemper said,
“In the end, we were all in it for the shirt.”
Re-live Champ Night on our Instagram at @uwrecsports or on Facebook here.