Coinciding with Longwood's eighth G.A.M.E. rally, hundreds of students will crowd to watch men's soccer kick off their season at home during the school's largest athletic tradition.
For the first time since its creation in 2010, this year’s G.A.M.E. will feature the Longwood men’s soccer team taking on the Virginia Military Institute (VMI) Keydets on Aug. 25 at 7 p.m.
The acronym stands for “Greatest Athletic March Ever.” The Friday night starts as students wait in line to get a limited edition scarf, unique to that year's G.A.M.E.
Then, they embark on the march through campus and the Town of Farmville to the soccer field - with Longwood University President William Taylor Reveley IV, out in front leading the march.
Last season, the team made it to the Big South Conference Championship game before falling to Radford 1-0. VMI is on a 49-game losing streak as the match approaches.
Led by 15-year head coach Jon Atkinson, Longwood only graduated five players last season while this year’s recruiting class brought in eight players. The class features three transfer players; the rest are freshmen.
Returning to the team is senior playmaker Dan Campos, a midfielder from Bergen, Norway. Last year, Campos tied for first in the nation in assists with 12. Adding his four goals to the mix, the midfielder ended the season touting 20 points, garnering his third-straight Second-Team All-Big South selection.
In their second season under head coach Michael Bonelli, VMI has a veteran roster of mostly juniors and seniors, carrying only five underclassmen, all sophomores.
Longwod's biggest contenders in the game are Keydet senior midfielder Sam Moffett, team leader in goals scored and points last season, and senior defender Sohrab Shaikh, who played the most minutes of returning players.
