Last week, on Thursday April 7, the Tamkang University soccer team trounced a local Taiwanese college team to win the grand final of the University Football League. During the game, in recognition of TKU’s 60th anniversary, the team donned bright red uniforms, which not only symbolized ‘good fortune’, but also successfully drew the crowd’s attention. The coach of the TKU team, Associate Professor Chen Yi-Cheng, said that “the use of sound strategies and improved training methods was the key to victory”.

At the conclusion of the match, the team captain, Ricardo B. Abrego Abrego, let out a euphoric scream “I can’t believe it!” He explained how he and his fellow teammates sacrificed their spring holidays to train for the game, and how at lunchtime everyday, team members took time out of their schedule to train and increase their physical strength. He noted: “we’ve got a really close team; we’re not just players on a soccer team, we’re like family”.

The man of the match, Chen Zhi-yan, described how in the semi-final match, they entered a penalty shoot-out after a drawn result at full-time: I cried after missing my penalty shot. Fortunately, the others converted successfully and we made it into the grand final”.

This year, the entire grand final match was televised. Yet that didn’t stop fellow TKU international and exchange students from coming to cheer on their team. When the full time whistle was blown, the TKU fans pulled out flags from their home countries and began waving them wildly while cheering at the top of their lungs. The team captain said that “the support of our fans and classmates made all the difference and helped to create what was by far our best memory in Taiwan!”