DENVER Because the men’s soccer team will be on the road in Chicago during this weekend’s Homecoming Weekend, the Pioneers hosted their 2007 men’s soccer alumni weekend last Friday through Sunday.
The weekend began Friday as alumni watched the Pioneers outshoot but ultimately tie Sacramento State in the afternoon. After the game, alumni headed to their favorite Denver area restaurants to reunite and share stories.
The alumni met at Pioneer Field after the team’s Saturday morning training. The afternoon started with a brief tour of DU’s athletic facilities and the upgraded locker room, and saw plans for the new soccer stadium. The 2007 men’s soccer alumni game kicked off at 11:30 a.m. With his induction to the DU athletic Hall of Fame this Thursday, Soteris Kefalas showed that he still had the traits that make him DU’s most prolific goal scorer, opening the game with a goal in the first half. The second half saw goals from Matt Harrell and Brain Kneuer. Goalkeepers’s Dan Weisner and Richard Sletvold, both on DU’s All-Time career goalkeeper wins charts, were fantastic in the nets.
After the game, the alumni and the team gathered at Stick-E-Star restaurant for a barbeque and some more stories. Kefalas addressed the team and alumni, sharing his wisdom on scoring goals, team building and success after soccer.
“It was fantastic to see so many alumni come back and be so excited about DU and the soccer program,” head coach Bobby Muuss said. “There is a lot of tradition, and it was great for the staff and players to hear stories from alumni about the program. The weekend fed to the development of the family atmosphere, which we keep as a core component in building success with the men’s soccer program.”
Alumni who returned included Elliot Mann ’88, Matt Harrall 01, Scott Anderson 07, Francis Brown 86, Mike Mills 84, Solteris Kefalis 83, Chad Haugland , Mike McClain 06, Jon Goldin-Dubois 88, Stoner Tadlock , Dan Weisner 86, Mike Seager 07, Liam Girard 06, Thomas Flynn ’05, Brad Barkey 84, Kevin Horn 98, Mike Stebbins ’96, Richard Sletvold ’99, Garry Owens ’91, Jeff Courchene 94, James Merriman ’06, Travis Hendricks ’05, Scott Dedycker, Jim Kiernan 86, Brian Kneuer ’03, C.R. Kalin ’83 and RJ Smith ’02.
