The first-ever Carleton University International Students’ Centre (ISC) World Cup took place on Oct. 6, with team Brazil coming out on top.
The soccer tournament, hosted by the ISC, included eight teams: Brazil, Nigeria, Palestine, Nepal, Peru, Ghana, Canada and the USA. There were two four-team groups, semi-finals, as well as bronze and gold medal games.
The teams from Canada and the USA were made up of a mix of students, while the other teams represented cultural clubs on campus.
Brazil won the gold champions trophy and $300, with $200 going to second place Palestine, and $100 to third place Nepal.
Lily Akagbosu, ISC administrative and program co-ordinator, said the event provided a good social experience for students.
“It just shows the richness of our community, how we have people from various backgrounds and all unite to do something amazing,” Akagbosu said. “We found a lot of individual players who were interested, just random students.”
The cultural club teams were filled up two weeks before the event while spots on the Canada and USA teams were filled up only one week before.
“It’s not every time that you have an event selling out that fast, but that shows it’s something people actually enjoy and they really look forward to this,” she said.
The Carleton Fieldhouse was divided into two fields, with seven players on the field for each team and teammates and other players up on the sidelines, right next to the action.
Players on teams like Brazil and Palestine were familiar with each other. Most teammates on Ghana, Canada and USA didn’t know each other before. The majority of teams wore pinnies while Team Peru wore uniforms with the classic red stripe.
“It’s not as hard but it’s competitive,” Ghana’s Belema Tamuno-Francis said, after they beat Canada 4-1.
There were cheers and jeers from teammates and fans, and back and forth action. Players intensely shouted directions to their teammates from the sidelines and argued fouls and free kicks.
“When we’re on the touchline, we’re always trying to give each other support because it’s not easy to play back to back [games],” Brazil’s Oladapo Odumosu said.
Team Palestine and team Brazil faced off in the finals after their opening game draw.
The teams met again in the finals, going to a penalty shootout after a 1-1 tie. The first shooters both scored before Brazil’s Abiola Olajide netted the winning goal in the fourth round.
“It’s a terrible feeling,” said team Palestine player Abderaouf Cheniouni, said of the loss. “We pushed them right until the end but it sucks.”
“It feels great,” Odumosu said, “It’s always really good to win. That drive to win really pushed us to go the whole nine yards. . . it was unbelievable.”
Olajide called Brazil goalie Faisal Mohammad’s performance “fantastic.”
“To be honest it wasn’t about the prize money,” Olajide said. “It was about having fun.”
Photo by Meagan Casalino
