Rivals come together for 9/11 soccer game

The Chapel Hill Tigers and East Chapel Hill Wildcats soccer teams came together on September 11 to play regular season games to commemorate the lives lost to terrorist attacks 14 years ago.

The game served as a fundraiser for the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund (IFHF), a non-profit orga-

nization that builds mental health centers in military bases across the country. The clinics provide support to military personnel with traumatic brain injuries and psychological health conditions.

Chapel Hill varsity head coach Jason Curtis commended both teams for rallying around the cause together.

“The cooperation with East Chapel Hill was really neat,” Curtis said. “It shows that even crosstown rivals can come together for something special like this.”

The game helped to raise more than $200 for the construction of the Intrepid Spirit Center that is currently being built at Fort Bragg.

Donations were collected from spectators at the game. Fans were also able to buy submarine sandwiches, that were donated by Jersey Mikes, with all of the proceeds going towards the organization.

The Chapel Hill and East Chapel Hill soccer teams take a group photo after their September 11 memorial soccer games. The varsity match ended in a 1-1 draw.

Both teams came out wearing T-shirts reading “United in soccer, never forget 9/11/01.” The commemorative shirt had a decal of the Twin Towers and the names of the two schools written on the back.

The shirts were designed by students and soccer players in Chapel Hill JV coach Kevin Schoden’s Introduction to Graphic Communications class.

The varsity game ended in a 1-1 draw. The lone Chapel Hill goal was scored by junior Paul McLaughlin.

Junior Harrison Broun was proud of the teams for coming together.

“It was a great display for the town of Chapel Hill,” Broun said.

The JV team came out on top with a 3-0 win over the Wildcats, with goals scored by freshmen Gabo Tobin-Xet and Cam Kerr and sophomore Richard Vaca.

“I was very honored to play,” sophomore Juan Castro said. “It was lucky that the game fell on this day because we were able to pay tribute to the people who lost their lives on September 11.”

The varsity teams met for a rematch on October 16 at East Chapel Hill, that again ended in a tie, by a score of 3-3.

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