Maybe it’s just me.

Maybe it’s because I’m a sports fan, because I thrive on competition, or simply because I’m a guy.

Maybe it’s because of my floor, because even now, two years later, the gentlemen of 4th floor Clemens are still my best friends.

Or maybe it’s because I needed a way to get all my energy out after Welcome Week.

But that night – the first soccer game of the year where freshman scream their lungs out for school pride and floor pride – that night I will always remember.

I remember the floor meeting, inventing cheers for a new school and feeling like I was really a part of something.

I remember walking to the game, past the green quad, across the busy Grand Avenue, and through the black steel arches.

I remember being there, screaming like crazy and getting to know the guys I’d be living with for the next nine months.

I remember not having a voice the next day.

The Welcome Week soccer game – held this year on Saturday evening at 7:00 when SLU takes on Northern Illinois – is quite possibly the highlight event of a freshman’s first week at SLU.

Along with over 1500 classmates, it’s your first experience of Billiken pride and tradition.

Floors compete against each other in a cheering contest during the game, seeing who can make the moist noise and come up with the best cheers.  And while you’re painted up and screaming like crazy for your new school, it’s a unique bonding experience with your floor mates.

I remember Steve’s body slathered with blue paint.

I remember Pat’s crazy chant.

And I remember Luke’s leadership and willingness to inclue everyone.

The bonding that took place in the bleachers at Robert R. Hermann Stadium was a foundation for the first nine months at my new home.

And this year, with a young team that includes six freshmen, the members of the Class of 2015 will have something extra to cheer about.

SLU’s soccer team is picked to finish second in the A-10, and the team has a goal of returning to the NCAA Tournament.

There’s no better way to start the season.

I don’t remember who the opponent was, who scored the goals or who which side went home with the W that night.  But I remember the face paint, the “Billikens” chant, and the feeling.

The feeling that this – my team, my floor, my school – was something I could be proud of.