Hello Viking Alumni, Fans, Friends and Family,
We are excited to embark on our 2023 campaign. We are very proud of the hard work our team has been putting in throughout the Winter and Spring, both on and off the field, and we are very excited to see it all come together in the Fall!
As we prepare and train for the upcoming season, we invite you to invest in the Vikings Men's Soccer program on WWU Give Day, May 25th, to help elevate the overall experience for our student-athletes both on and off the field. Our goal this year is to raise $15,000!
Your contribution to that $15,000 will go towards:
Gear, for both training and games, as well as travel and game day apparel. We aim to provide our athletes with the proper gear to be successful in any type of weather we may encounter, both at home and away. This includes (but is not limited to) full game day kits (jerseys, shorts, socks), short and long sleeve training tops, training shorts and pants, warm up jackets for training/game day, travel attire, zip up hoodie sweatshirts, puffy jackets and lightweight rain jackets.
Travel, to compete on a larger scale and add to a memorable student-athlete experience. To be the best, you need to beat the best, so we believe in the importance of travel to compete against the top schools in our Region. This coming Fall, we will be making two trips to California to play Chico State and Sonoma State, then Concordia University Irvine and Point Loma Nazarene University. We put a lot of time and effort into arranging travel that will result in missing as little school as possible, maximizing the chance for success both individually and as a team.
Team meals, both on the road and at home during pre-season, conference play and post-season. Getting the team together for a team meal during pre-season, conference play or post-season is an excellent way to promote and foster a healthy team chemistry and create memories. Whether it’s a pickup order of Jimmy John’s in the locker room, or a sit-down meal at the Italian Cottage in Chico, CA, or post game shakes at Harrington, not only is it a chance to ensure that we are providing our student-athletes with pre and post-game meals to be successful on the field, but it gives our group a chance to spend valuable time together as well. Shout out WWU Alumni Danny Huerta and his Churros Locos food truck in Western Oregon!
Equipment, to continue to supplement and update our training equipment to push performance both individually and collectively, as well as add to our locker room to enhance the overall experience for our players. We are very lucky to have one of the top facilities in the country available to us for training every day and to compete on Game Day. With your help we can continue to supply high-performance field training equipment which helps to elevate our training sessions and take steps towards reaching our collective goals on a consistent basis.
Recruiting, to scout, identify and evaluate the top prospective student-athletes in the state of Washington and across the nation. Ideally, we would like to attend as many relevant college showcase tournaments as possible, such as Surf Cup, MLS Next events, ECNL showcases and ECNL National Playoffs. These events help us properly evaluate players interested in our program in the most efficient way possible. We are also able to gain a larger sample size of in-person evaluations and make sure we are finding the right fit for WWU Vikings soccer.
Once again to our 2022 Senior Class and their families, we appreciate all your contributions to the program throughout your years at Western. Thank you, Johan, Alessandro, Patrick, Gus, Dakota, Danny and Teagan! We wish you the very best in your next adventure!
Testimonials and Messages to Donors:
#8 Jacob Sundberg, Rocklin, CA (Junior):
“The Western Washington Men’s Soccer program has been an invaluable experience for me. It has allowed me to create lifelong friendships, while competing at a very high level and getting a good education. I am so grateful that Western has given me the opportunity to build relationships with not only my teammates, but with my peers on campus as well. Thank you for your donations and support of our soccer program!”
#18 Sebastiano Silvetti, Bergamo, Italy (Redshirt Freshman):
“I’d like to take a moment to thank each one of the donors to this program. With your help, we’re able to live the incredible experience of being student-athletes in college. I came all the way from Italy to play soccer for Western, and the WWU Men’s Soccer team has become my new family here in the U.S. Western is a place where I feel appreciated and valued both for the sport I play and for who I am outside of soccer. I am looking forward to what’s coming in the next years!”
#12 Theo Steinmetz, Shoreline, WA (Senior):
“Being a member of the Western Washington soccer team has single handedly made my college experience amazing. Getting to play soccer with a great group of people gives me something to look forward to every day. I’m thankful for all our generous donors that create these amazing opportunities for the team.”
#5 Ryan Rotter, Auburn, WA (Sophomore):
“Going to school at Western has been amazing so far, the students and teachers are very nice and welcoming. I am so proud to be a member of the men’s soccer team. There is a sense of brotherhood on this team, knowing that everyone has my back on and off the field helps me perform at my best. Honestly, I really couldn’t see myself anywhere else.”
#7 Albin Jonsson, Skellefteå, Sweden (Sophomore):
“Being an international student-athlete, I thought it was going to be difficult to fit in at WWU at first, but it was the opposite. Western is a school with a supportive community and a beautiful campus. The men’s soccer team is like a family, and it’s filled with great players and people. Everyone here shares the same goals and ambitions when it comes to soccer, which I like. We appreciate all your donations to the Vikings family, thank you and go Viks!”
#17 Mitchell Hutter, Buckley, WA (Senior):
“One of my favorite things about being a student-athlete at Western is the escape that soccer allows me from academics. College is difficult and it is very easy to get caught up in classes and hung up on a bad grade. When I go to practice, I get an opportunity to do what I love with people who have a similar passion. I love that I can debate about the English Premier League, get some exercise in, and work on my craft. Two hours later, my stress is relieved and I’m ready to get back to schoolwork with a clear mind. I am convinced that soccer has made me a better student.”
Thank you, Viking Family, for your support!
Donating to our program will not only enhance the resources available to our team like gear, travel, recruiting, team meals and training equipment, but more importantly, your gift will provide opportunities for growth with each of our student-athletes not only as soccer players, but as people. Every gift helps! Each donation will go directly back to the student-athletes in one of the ways listed above. We truly appreciate your investment in these amazing young people.
We also invite you to support the team by attending games, as well as by sharing our VikingFunder on your social media outlets. The more our Viking Family can grow, the better!
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