world cup – Houghton STAR

Dignitaries from around the world flew to South Africa on Tuesday, December 10, to commemorate the life of former South African President Nelson Mandela. Mandela, instrumental in ending apartheid policies in his country, died on December 8 at the age of 95 after a persistent lung infection.

According to the Washington Post, huge crowds of mourners filled a soccer stadium in Soweto, South Africa where together they sang and clapped, memorializing Mandela as a racial healer, a figure so humble and transcendent that he felt comfortable with rich and poor, young and old, black and white. The service lasted for four hours with many emotional tributes and joyous song about a great leader lost. This all happened during an intense rainstorm which, according to tradition, symbolizes the passing of a great leader into the afterlife.

The venue of the memorial service, Soweto, is symbolic for many South Africans. The Washington Post writes that Soweto was the site of the 2010 World Cup tournament and the last time Mandela was seen in public. Moreover, Soweto was a formerly segregated township that was at the center of anti-apartheid protests in the 1970s and 1980s, a fitting place for South Africans of all backgrounds and color to unite to mourn a leader who fought against this segregation.

Among the mourners were over ninety presidents and prime ministers from around the world, including U.S. President Barack Obama, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, and British Prime Minister David Cameron. According to the BBC, Obama, who was cheered as he took the podium to offer a eulogy to Mandela, remarked that “we will never see the likes of Nelson Mandela again. While I will always fall short of Madiba [Mr. Mandela’s clan name], he makes me want to be a better man.” Cuban President Raul Castro, whose brother Fidel showed much support for Mandela’s anti-apartheid cause, also stated during his eulogy address that Mandela was the “ultimate symbol of dignity and the revolutionary struggle.” Other mourners included many celebrities, such as Charlize Theron, who was born in South Africa, along with Bono, Oprah Winfrey, Peter Gabriel, and Sir Richard Branson.

While President Obama may have been cheered, the warm welcome was not spread to current South African President Jacob Zuma, who was booed and jeered as he prepared to give his closing address. According to Reuters, Zuma’s government is currently in the midst of numerous corruption scandals, upsetting many South Africans who view him as a fraction of the man that Mandela was. Undeterred by the booing, the BBC reports that Zuma stated that Mandela was “one of a kind…a fearless freedom fighter who refused to allow the brutality of the apartheid state to stand in way of the struggle for the liberation of his people.” Additionally, Zuma announced the renaming of a number of public buildings. This includes the Union Buildings in the capital Pretoria, where Mandela will lie in state until December 13, which will soon be known as the Mandela Amphitheatre.

The ceremony concluded with a speech by South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu, who asked the crowd to rise to their feet for a final tribute. On December 15, a state funeral for Nelson Mandela will be held before his body is interred in a family burial plot.

As both the men’s and women’s soccer teams have finished their season play, they are headed to Kissimmee, Florida to play in the NCCAA regionals. Still in a transitional year to NCAA division III, neither team is allowed to compete in Empire 8 championship games.

The tournament is run like the World Cup in that there are three pools of three teams each. Seven are their respective region’s champions and two are at large bids. The top team that earns the most points from each pool will advance to the final four along with one wild card team. Three points are earned for winning, one point for tying, and no points for losing.

The women finished strong with a record of 13-3-1. They hosted Regionals against Mount Vernon Nazarene University, defeating them 2-0, to go on to Nationals. This is the eleventh consecutive year that the women’s team has headed to Florida for Nationals.

Houghton’s pool includes: Trinity Christian College and Azusa Pacific University. The other teams competing are Palm Beach Atlantic University, Lee University, Grace College, Judson University, Point Loma University and Dallas Baptist University. Houghton is the eighth seed.

“Since we have made it to the final site for Nationals in the past, we are really seeking to get past that first game in the tournament with a win,” said senior captain Amanda Zacchigna, “I’d love to see our team make it to the final four playing in our style that we have been working on mastering all season.”

Unfortunately, the women lost both pool play games. The score of the first game against the second seed, Trinity Christian College was 3-1 and 2-1 against Azusa Pacific University. They finished well with a record of 13-5-1.

“We would like to play good, quality soccer and advance to the Final Four,” said Coach David Lewis.

“The players have been working exceptionally hard since the close of the regular season. Despite very cold conditions and occasional snow they have put in some strong training sessions. The level of improvement since the onset of the season is quite evident.”

The men concluded their season against Roberts Wesleyan with a score of 2-0. Their final record was 15-2-1. They are headed to Florida to compete for the NCCAA Division I national championship.

As the fourth seed, their competition for pool play consisted of Southern Wesleyan University, to which Houghton lost 2-1, and Campbellsville University, which won with a score of 4-1, knocking Houghton out of the tournament. The other teams competing were Fresno Pacific University, Lee University, Mid-America Christian University, Judson University, Spring Arbor University, and Mississippi College.

“Goals are to play as many games as possible…and make it to the final,” said senior captain Paul Seddon, “But really to play to our full potential.”

Seddon was honored at the opening banquet with the Kyle Rote Jr. Award. He was honored for his leadership skills, academic performance, and contribution to the men’s soccer team throughout his years attending Houghton.

“I can see why old people move to Florida for retirement. It is so mild and comfortable this time of year,” said Seddon, “I couldn’t think of a better way to end my college career.”

“I am thrilled to have our season end in Florida. We did what we needed to do throughout the season to make it to this point and we’re exactly where we should be,” said Zacchigna, “We’re good enough to compete with the teams at this tournament, so anything less than making it to the final site would have been a disappointment.”