The Pirates for Pirates Challenge is happening now, and this is your opportunity to give back with your support of Men's Soccer!

Our season is underway, and we are currently ranked 13th in this week’s United Soccer Coaches National Poll.  We are building on last year's success after returning a large group of seasoned players and adding nine first-years. It is a really exciting time for the program, with a lot of season to go.  

While we are in the middle of our season, there are some opportunities for your support to have a direct impact on the team and their experience. I would like to get Nike sweaters and another Nike game-day top for the guys, which would cost around $2,000 to outfit the team. Your gifts will also help fund the nutritious food, water, electrolytes packets, and snacks we keep in our locker room throughout the year. As well, we have some extensive travel out of state with trips to Kentucky, Tennessee, and the conference tournament in Atlanta, GA, where we plan to travel the entire roster so that everyone shares in the experience.

A few ongoing investments to support the further development of the program include our Catapult Sports GPS system and the Spiideo recording camera. Catapult wearable devices monitor movement patterns, workload, and physiological responses during training and competition, while Spiiddeo will help with our film breakdown, stats, and game highlights.

Gifts of all sizes collectively impact our program and elevate the experience each athlete receives. Our goal this year is to have 100 donors during the Pirates for Pirates Challenge. There is an anonymous donor who is also offering a generous matching gift opportunity to double your impact, giving $1 for $1, up to $10,000!

We have a tradition during our pregame competition in which a losing player has to present a trophy to the winning team, while the players celebrate, spraying water all over the place and soaking the individual presenting the trophy. When we reach our goal of 100 donors, one of the coaches will present the trophy for the first time!

Thank you and Go Pirates!

Dustin Norman
Head Men's Soccer Coach

P.S. For all past Pirates, our Alumni Game this year will be on Saturday, April 24, during the Red Poppy Festival. It is always great to see everyone come back, and I hope you will mark your calendar.