Print friendly
E-mail story
Tip Us Off
iPod friendly
Comments
Bookmark This
del.icio.us.
Digg!
furl
google
newsvine
reddit
technorati
Facebook
Yahoo!My train rolled in to the Goleta station an hour late on Sunday at 5:16 p.m. A friend picked me up in the Mystery Machine — yes, really — and dropped me off at home, but not before stopping to pick up a flask or two from the boys’ house. I tossed my bags down in my room, changed into my Gaucho Locos shirt, and not more than 10 minutes after I had run through the front door, my friends and I were on our bikes headed off to the soccer game.
Eye on I.V.
We hurried so we could get free T-shirts — because heaven knows I need more bright yellow shirts in my life — but got there too late. As we walked into the stadium, I felt this weird déjà vu, seeing all the freshmen and remembering how thrilled I was at the first Gaucho soccer game I went to three years ago.
We found our friends sitting just off to the side of the Gaucho Loco section and squeezed in spots that were not meant for such womanly hips. Everyone was exchanging summer stories, talking about Saturday night’s festivities, and eagerly anticipating the game. (Well, almost everyone — a few people were there because there was nothing else going on.) The hardcore fans and the Gaucho Locos were doing their best to get everyone pumped before kick off. As the Gaucho soccer boys took the field, the crowd screamed. And so it began.
The Wake Forest Demon Deacons were the number one college team in the nation and UCSB number 14. Maybe it’s because I’m a pessimist, but I really wasn’t expecting a win. So when the Gauchos kicked in the first goal of the game within the first two minutes, I was a bit shocked. Not that I don’t have total faith in my boys, but I just wouldn’t have bet on the Gauchos coming out to such an early lead.
“Olé, olé, oléeeeeeeee! Gauchos! Gauchos!” The crowd went absolutely berserk. As true Gauchoholics, I saw a few students duck down and take secret shots of their own for their Gauchos. We were all jumping around, high-fiving, proud as could be. It was that glorious feeling you only get when your team kicks ass. While I’m not a diehard sports fan, I’m a Gaucho through and through, and soccer games only remind me how much I love to be one.
The game went on and the more time UCSB spent in the lead and in control of the ball, the cockier we got in the crowd.
“You can’t do that!” We shouted after the ref called a foul against a Demon.
“Bullshit, bullshit!” We chanted after a wrongful foul against the Gauchos.
“OHHHHHHHHHHHH!” We yelled as a distraction technique (which was only kind of successful).
Everybody was cheering and jeering happily until just before the half, when Wake Forest pounded the ball into the net for their first goal, tying up the game. The mood in the crowd shifted. A mixture of anger and disappointment lingered for the last minute of the first half and into half time.
The referee blew his whistle and the second half was underway. Not long into the half, Wake Forest scored again. More jeers. People were starting to get pissed at the Gauchos, yelling at them to get open and to get back on defense and similar really insightful comments that I’m sure they’ve never heard.
With about a half hour left, Wake Forest sent the ball back into the goal, making the score 3-1. The crowd booed, but this time I wasn’t sure if it was for the Gauchos or Demon Deacons. People started leaving the stands in droves, apparently convinced that the Gauchos couldn’t ever come back from such a “devastating” lead. A friend of mine called out to another friend who was leaving the stadium, “What, you call yourself a fan?”
“They call themselves a team?” He called back.
I was in disbelief at the lack of loyalty of the Gaucho fans. When the Demon Deacons made the score 4-1, even more people ditched their seats for more important things that couldn’t possibly wait 20 minutes. I was appalled. Did people really think the most supportive thing they could do was leave with their team needed them? Of course the Gaucho soccer team knew they weren’t performing well. They didn’t need the fans to tell them that.
I stuck it out until the final countdown with about half of the crowd. The Gauchos lost 6-2, but I wasn’t nearly as disappointed in them as I was in the fans. Gaucho spirit lives on whether our teams win or lose.
Shame on you, early leavers. I expect to see you at the next home game on October 8, painted faces and all.
Previous Month
Comments
Discussion Guidelines
Post a comment