Soccer faces KU, Truman State this weekend
The men’s club soccer team, after finishing last season at Regionals with losses to Kansas University and Mizzou-the eventual national club soccer champion-is 1-0-1.
The team defeated Southwest Baptist on Sept. 13, and tied against Washington University in St. Louis on Sept. 17.
This weekend, the team travels to Truman State University on Saturday, Sept. 27, and hosts KU on Sunday.
“I think this is a make-or-break weekend,” Club President Terence McAuliffe said. “Truman is one of the teams we are fighting with for a qualification spot, and Kansas was a team we lost to at Regionals last year. We need two big wins to stay on top this season.”
Bowling makes an entrance in club sports
Matt Johns is a sophomore from Columbia, Ill., where he started bowling at the age of 4. After playing in multiple competitive leagues while growing up, Johns started a league here at SLU. Being a brand new program, he was unsure of how many people would be interested and if it would even start up. However, the popularity exploded. More than 25 people have signed up already. Johns is currently scheduling matches against Indiana University and Arkansas. Johns, with an average score of 220 per game, said he thinks he can put together a competitive team.
Tom Scott forms Mixed Martial Arts club
Another new sport club this year at SLU is Mixed Martial Arts. Headed up by freshman Tom Scott, experienced in Jui Jitsu and wrestling, the MMA club is a mixture a boxing, wrestling, Jui JitSu and Muay Thai. MMA is one of the fastest growing sports in the United States; however, it is also one of the most controversial. Despite claims of being barbaric and overly violent, Scott said the focus will be mainly on self-defense.
Handball sets sights on entering Nationals
Handball is back at SLU. After a 2006 Missouri State Title, the club separated, but junior Elise Monaco has got it going again. Not to be confused with team handball, this is played with two players on a racquetball court. Both players wear a leather glove and hit a small, heavy ball, trying to rack up points. Although Monaco said she is inexperienced herself, she is convinced she can make a competitive team. She has seven members at this point, but will need 12 to enter Nationals in February. This year, the president of the American Handball Club will coach the team.
