Kicking off the week with Theo soccer

Mondays may be the low point of the week for students at Drew, but for many theology students and professors it may actually be the highlight. From 11 a.m. until they tire, many gather in Simon Forum to play a pick-up game of soccer. They were gracious enough to allow me into their last game.
Nobody knows when the unofficial Monday morning league began, but the group’s president, Sungchun Ahn, has a speculative history.
The league began over 20 years ago, but the exact start is not known,” he said. “We play with students who have played for seven years, so they spread the word and it just keeps going.”
There are numerous rules to their game, that enhance it and add a sense of credibility to the league.
The usual hand-ball rules apply, but one aspect makes the game more continuous.
Playing within the Forum, they close off one fourth of the floor and close the curtain. With all the curtains surrounding the “field” closed off, playing off those curtains is permitted which adds another angle for playing defense or starting a rush up field. Getting around a player by kicking the ball off the wall became commonplace and very effective.
It seems worth mentioning that the players on both teams are remarkably good ball-handlers. This was not a light-hearted game of gentle passes and soft shots.
This was a game with flat out sprinting, blistering shots and impressive headers.
One of the goals came about through smooth team chemistry that involved three forwards, passing the ball as if they had a GPS as to where it should go. After some nifty footwork, the ball rung off the inside post, and knotted the score. Luckily, this was the team I was on.
The most important thing that I gained was that these guys were all about having fun.
One conversation between Professor Morris Davis and some theology students comes to mind. He asked, “How do you say, ‘dummy’ in Korean?”
After noticing their confusion, he smiled and continued. “Not that kind of dummy. If you leave a pass to the guy behind you, it’s a dummy pass.”
I highly recommend that students and professors check out this league on Monday mornings. It’s a thrilling way to start off the week.