Photo courtesy: Belmont Athletics
The Belmont men’s soccer game broke attendance records on Aug. 28 at Rose Park against rival Lipscomb.
After the first win of the season, the men’s soccer team had both its players and fans to thank.
“The fans may not always see it that way but their support truly does affect the game,” said senior position Anthony Torres.
Both the marketing team and coaching staff are working to improve the prominence of the men’s soccer team on campus.
According to Assistant Director of Athletic Marketing David Fish, typically, fall sports at Belmont go unnoticed, but he’s looking to change that.
“We are going to go big or go home this year and make it so enticing that you would be foolish not to come,” said Fish.
After breaking records last season for overall game attendance, Fish had a meeting with his staff to discuss its goals for the Bruins in the 2015 season. Entering his second year in the position, Fish is already meeting these goals.
Fish, a former student of Belmont University, explained his own Resident Assistant experience, as an atmosphere where students could, “open up their window and listen to soccer games. It was never a trouble creating a following at the games due to the accessibility,” said Fish.
“Really you’re advertising athletic events to freshmen and sophomores,” said Fish.
Over 1,000 students, 1,123 students to be exact, arrived to the game in code red to support the Bruins. After being transported to the game via shuttles provided by the marketing department, students enjoyed popsicles in celebration of the season opener win.
The combination of a riveting game, sizeable student presence and enticing opportunities offered by the marketing department left a lasting impression for the men’s soccer game.
Ideally becoming the benchmark team, Head Coach Bryan Green believes soccer can be the team that people follow during the fall.
With 11 men on the field, the coach hopes that the fans will “become the 12th man,” said Green.
With two upcoming home games on Sept. 11 and 13, the men’s soccer team is ready to welcome back students at Rose Park.
“I get this feeling it is going to continue to grow,” said Torres. “This program is extremely promising.
This post was written by Meg MacDonald.