This past weekend, April 4-6, a group of 10 men from a Covenant College intramural soccer team won the Columbia International Soccer Tournament in Columbia, S.C.
They competed against nine other teams, all representing foreign countries.
Covenant contested a series of six games on Friday and Saturday against teams representing England, Spain, Jamaica, Japan, and Mexico.
The tournament, being held as part of the Columbia International Festival, was structured like the World Cup, in that each team played three games, and the top four teams in each group of five moved on to the playoffs.
South squeaked into the playoffs with a record of 1-1-1. They won the quarterfinal game against Japan 4-2, and the semifinal against Spain 2-0. In the championship game, they tied with Mexico 1-1 in regulation and won 3-0 in penalty kicks.
The weekend closed with the award ceremony on Sunday at the Columbia International Festival, where, in front of a crowd of more than 1,000, Covenant received their 1st place medals.
The team included: Peter Brinkerhoff, Ryan Fisher, Darrell Harkins, Jason Luther, Rob MacDougall, Korbin Parker, Mike Schout, Clifton Stagnaro, Stephen Strawbridge and Noel Weichbrodt. Covenant graduates John Tyler and Ty Tyler joined the team for their playoff run.
Columbia International Soccer Tournament results:
1. USA (Covenant College)
2. Mexico
3. Brazil