SOCCER TEAMS PLAY AT HOME, INVITE THEIR DOGS TO WATCH

A nice dog watching the game — Photo by Felicity Bosk

By Felicity Bosk

Dogs roamed the sidelines at last Saturday’s soccer games. They were all age, sizes, and furriness, ranging from a German Shepard to a pug. The pups were excited to be there and to receive a treat and new bandana at the door, and of course to play with the soccer balls and receive lots of pets. “Dogtoberfest” as the day was affectionately named, had the goal of raising money and supplies for the Douglas County Human Society.

“For the first year we were happy with how the day went,” said Sports Information Manager Jon Garver. “We had 16 dogs. We usually will have 4-5 on a typical game day, so to have the number triple made us happy, especially for the first year. So I think we would definitely be able to call it successful.”

The dogs were there to watch the humans play soccer. The men and women’s soccer teams played at home against the Martin Luther College Knights. The men wanted to get back to a winning streak after having lost to St. Scholastica a few days before. The women wanted to add a win to their growing list of losses.

The men played a strong game, beating the Knights 5-0. A parent of a player on the other team was overheard saying “these Yellow Jackets look like they were born with a soccer ball,” to which another replied “they probably were.”

The goals were made by Reyman Solis, Jon Bucklew, and Eric Watson. Watson, a freshman this year, has had a goal cumulating season with seven goals thus far. He was assisted in his two goals Saturday by Danny Kearns. The men’s soccer team will have their UMAC slate on Oct. 22 in St. Paul.

The women’s team played immediately after the men but luck was not on their side, as they lost 1-0 to the Martin Luther College Knights. The two shots on goal were made by sophomore Kelli Graham. Junior Bailey Henderson made six saves as goalie. The Yellow Jackets defense was able to keep off the Knights for most of the match, but the offence could not get past the Knights and score the goals needed for a win.

When asked if Dogtoberfest would become a yearly event, Garver said “Going forward I would think we would absolutely do it again and hopefully be able to add to it in terms of dog attractions and possibly some halftime entertainment, but we’ll cross that bridge when we get to it.”