After two years without being able to play annual boys soccer alumni game, Coach Nick Martin was finally able to schedule it for Dec. 28.

But despite his excitement that the game would return to the Mac practice fields, he had a problem … if you can really call it a problem.

“In previous years it was just a ton of alumni coming from a variety of classes and the varsity team,” Class of 21 alumn Aidan Golliher said, “and it usually was just a giant game, very chaotic and not much structure.”

For 2022-2023, therefore, the first alumni game in three years, Martin had a plan.

“I think he wanted to change it up because he was tired of the full field being too disorganized,” senior defender Jack Pitts said. “When it was 11v11, it would be more like 17v20 or something like that.”

The free-for-alls were fun, perhaps, but they were also total chaos. The solution? Form six teams of roughly six players each, and play three simultaneous 6v6 games. It wasn’t just the teams that were smaller either. The fields were smaller, and instead of full-sized goals the players used the smaller Pugg practice goals. And even though varsity goalie Sam Kanewske was on the pitch (or pitches), no one played goalie.

“There were three fields, and if you won you moved up,” Pitts said. “If you lost, you would move down, so some games were alum vs alum.”

There were even games where the two varsity squads were pitted against each other.

The format prevented people from standing around and from overloading the field to the alumni team’s advantage.

Was it still chaotic? Yes. Pitts called it “everything everywhere all at once.”

Let the record show (let us report first that the following tournament synopsis was confirmed by two seniors on the varsity) that the team of six Class of ‘21 alums got the better of their opponents. 

“I think we won all but one game if I remember,” Golliher joked afterward. “But in my eyes, we never lost.”

The 2021 side included Golliher, Ian Juul-Hansen, Reed Johnson, Blake Steckel, Moss Gillepsie and Luis Auyero.

“We did kinda kick butt,” Reed Johnson, Golliher’s fellow 2022 alum, said.

But while the Class of 2021 may have been the big winner on the pitch, Coach Martin claimed a much larger victory for himself and for all who attended in person or in spirit.

“The alumni game is one of the highlights of the year, doubly so this year since we hadn’t had one the past two years due to COVID,” Martin said. “It gives a real sense to the players that they are part of something bigger than themselves.  They can see themselves as current players, as newly returning freshmen in college, and 30-somethings.  All have a commonality:  McCallum Soccer. I love seeing players grow and follow them as they enter society.  This year, I talked to players who work in incredibly diverse fields.  One is a CPA.  Another works in financial services, another design fire sprinkler systems for large, commercial buildings, one is an Instagram Influencer.  Everything.  I love to see them succeed in whatever field they have chosen.  In the end, it’s a great way to celebrate being a part of this program right before the grind of the season begins.”

 We are pleased to present some of the most stellar images capturing the alumni and varsity matches in this week’s Tuesday Top 10.

LAST-SECOND SCORE: Luis Auyero leaps in the air to celebrate his last-second goal with teammate and fellow Class of 2021 alum Ian Juul-Hansen. The goal broke a tie and allowed the 2021 squad to edge past the Class of 2019-2020 team. The six-man 2021 team, which included Auyero, Juul-Hansen, Aidan Golliher (right), Reed Johnson, Blake Steckel and Moss Gillespie, won all but one game. Johnson, who now plays soccer at Hendrix College, attributed the 2021 team’s success to better defense and maturity.

“We did kinda kick butt,” Johnson said.

Johnson believes that Mac soccer alumni return year after year purely to see old teammates and play the “beautiful game.” 

“Soccer is generally my motivation at a basic level,” Johnson said.

Caption by Ingrid Smith. Photo by Morgan Eye.

NOT GIVING IT UP: The alumni demonstrated that they still had it throughout the scrimmages. In this image, alum Jimmy Walker finishes a scoring chance set up by several sharp alum passes, the last of which was an expertly executed flick past two varsity defenders to Walker’s foot for the shot. Jack Pitts (center) said the varsity squad demonstrated some deft passing of its own.

“I gave Sam Kanewske a ball over the top, and he had this majestic touch I’ve never seen anything like it.” Pitts said. “He proceeded to beat his man and give a through ball to Banyan [Hunsucker-Pollock], but it was a little bit too heavy so Banyan almost fell down trying to catch it.” 

The common thread between the generations of Mac soccer goes beyond skill, and it explains why so many alums come back for the alumni game.

“Martin preaches hard work and so that’s what we do,” Pitts said. “When you have guys that all enjoy playing hard and that win, I can’t imagine not wanting to come back.”

Caption by Dave Winter. Photo by Julia Copas. 

A FAMILY FAVORITE: Class of 2022 Sylvio Guzman and current senior Jack Pitts fighting for the win on one of the fields. As one of McCallum’s most popular sports in the present day and in the past, Coach Nick Martin got the chance to throw the fan-favorite alumni soccer game, an event that hasn’t occurred in two years. With multiple games happening at once, the current varsity soccer players and alumni players got plenty of action time on the field.

“It was pretty fun actually seeing everybody.” Pitts said. “The games were kinda short, which was nice because it gave us time to play with everyone.” 

The chaos of figuring out how to play with such a large group of people at the same time, without having overly large teams required a tight-knit plan. The teams included six current varsity players that would go against six alumni players on three separate fields at the same time. However, the chaos proved to be part of the fun for Pitts and his fellow teammates. 

“We tried to make teams of six and where some teams had missing players people would just move around to those teams,” Pitts said. “There were three fields and if you won you moved up and if you lost you would move down.”

Overall the event proved to be memorable for the teams, and returning McCallum students gave everyone a chance to get back in the game.

“Martin preaches hard work and so that’s what we do. When you have guys that all enjoy playing hard and that win I can’t imagine not wanting to come back.” Pitts said. “I also got megged by Silvio so that hurt, but it was good to see he still had it in him.”

Caption by Chloe Lewcock. Photo by Julia Copas.

STILL GOT IT: Class of 2018 alum Eric LaWare advances the ball toward the goal while varsity players Eli Benitez and Luka Alvarez watch the flight of LaWare’s shot. Alvarez said observing the skill level of the alums was the best part of his first alumni game experience.

“It was interesting seeing people who were once in a similar situation [that] I am [in now], all grown up,” Alvarez said. “Based on the skill I witnessed, some of them [have] retained their skill from years back.”

Caption by Dave Winter. Photo by Julia Copas.

PUTTING ONE PAST THE OLD MASTERS: Senior Charlie Partheymuller kicks the ball alongside alum Louis Shockett as Class alum Gerohan Irias defends. Partheymuller was excited to see the high turnout of both varsity and alumni players. 

“I met some nice alumni for the first time and got to see some friends I hadn’t seen in a long while,” Partheymuller said.

Indeed, several of the alumni players were Partheymuller’s own former teammates, such as Class of ’22 alums Jimmy Walker and Silvio Guzman. Since Partheymuller was less familiar with the older alums, to him,  giving his former teammates a run for their money was the best part of the experience.

“I got by [Walker and Guzman] once to score the first of the mini game, but their team eventually put two past us to win,” Partheymuller said. “But going against some old teammates is what I went for. It just felt good to school them every once in a while.”

Although scoring against his former teammates was satisfying, playing the alumni ultimately reminded Partheymuller that the outcome of the game isn’t the most important part of playing.

“I definitely took away to have fun while playing the game,” Partheymuller said. “That’s why everyone was there and [that’s] what everyone did.”

Caption by Lanie Sepehri. Photo by Julia Copas.

AN OFFER TO GOOD TO REFUSE: Aidan Golliher and his Class of 2021 teammates defend against the advance of Class of 2019 alum Camilo Auyero (whose brother Luis was on the 2021 side). Golliher said that pulling out a last-second victory in the showdown with the alums from ‘19 and ‘20 was a highlight for the day. The best part though was getting together with five of his peers from 2021, reconnecting and getting to play the game they love.

“During the years I was on varsity, the guys all were very close and developed a good relationship with each other,” Golliher said. “We all were very close while I played. So getting the chance to come back and see each other while also playing some soccer is something me and my friends have a hard time turning down.”

Caption by Dave Winter. Photo by Morgan Eye.

TEACHING THE ‘YOUNGINS: As the senior player on the field, 2003 alum Mynor Alvarado tried his best to keep up with the younger kids at the 2022 boys soccer alumni game.

“Unfortunately a lot of the guys I played with aren’t out here, [and I am] seeing these young guys and seeing how much worse I’ve gotten,” Alvarado said. “It’s good though; it’s always good to be out. I grew up playing soccer, and now I don’t get to play as much so being out here with these younger people helps me rejuvenate a little bit.”

Back on his high school field and playing against the current varsity team, Alvarado was able to recall memories from his time as Martin’s player. 

“My fondest memory of soccer at McCallum would be coming out here in the springtime and joking around,” Alvarado said. “Obviously we enjoyed playing soccer but I really enjoyed the fun we had, the nice weather and the really good friends we would play with.”

Fun and games aside, there was one game that Alvarado would never forget; McCallum v. Lake Travis. 

“It was the first playoff game,” Alvarado said. “We hadn’t been to the playoffs in a long time,and we beat them in Lake Travis [in their home stadium]. At that point they weren’t that good, but it was still nice to win against our rival team. I plainly remember that game. It was a good game.” 

Following his time at McCallum, Alvarado attended St. Edwards University in south Austin before moving up to Dallas. He moved back to Austin seven years ago, allowing him to attend alumni games.

Caption and photo by Morgan Eye.

BACK AT IT AGAIN: McCallum Alum Luis Auyero dribbles the ball down field. Auyero was on the varsity boys soccer team for four years, and was one of the many members to return for the varsity vs. alumni game. 

“It felt good to be back on the field,” Auyero said. “I got to play with some people I haven’t seen in so long.” Caption by JoJo Barnard. Photo by Morgan Eye.

KICKIN’ IT WITH THE ALUMNI: Junior Ohad Klein fights to keep the ball away from alum Jose Benitez. For Klein, the match against alumni was an exciting change of pace. 

“It was really fun playing with all the alumni,” he said. “I felt good going into the game and once it started I was ready to play.” 

With Knights as both his teammates and opponents, Klein was able to let loose on the pitch.

“My favorite [part] was definitely when I passed it to my teammate and scored a bicycle kick in the air,” Klein said. Caption by Francie Wilhelm. Photo by Morgan Eye.

BACK TOGETHER AGAIN: Former McCallum soccer players pose for a group photo at the annual varsity vs. alumni match. The teams of graduated Knights consisted of students as recent as the Class of ‘22 all the way back to 2003. After two years of COVID delays, Coach Nick Martin was finally able to hold the match on Dec. 28. 

“[The alumni game] provides like a continuity for the program. It doesn’t matter what year you are,” Martin said.

While some organizational changes were made to the event this year, with matches being held tournament style rather than a free-for-all, Martin maintained the spirit of community that the match holds for his past and current players. 

“Getting the chance to come back and see each other whilst also playing some soccer is something me and my friends have a hard time turning down,” class of 2021 alum Aiden Golliher said. “I’d predict and hope that as the years continue, the close-knit community the boys varsity had will continue [and] that will allow this program to grow.”

Caption by Francie Wilhelm. Photo by Morgan Eye.

FAMILY FOOTBALL: Junior Ohad Klein dribbles the ball away from Mac soccer alumni Jose Benitez and Louis Shockett. The alumni soccer game on Dec. 28 marked the return of a varsity soccer tradition after a two-year hiatus. Klein was pleasantly surprised by the number of alumni in attendance and their level of play.

“It was overall very competitive and there were different age differences which was a challenge but that made it more fun,” Klein said.

For Klein, the game was an opportunity to catch up with former teammates and meet people within the Mac soccer community. 

“It’s great having the alumni game because everyone comes together as a family and we see our past teammates who we haven’t seen in a while,” Klein said.

Caption by Ingrid Smith. Photo by Morgan Eye.

MAKING IT COUNT: Alum Reed Johnson, Class of 2021, said he and his squad of five other ’21 alums “did kick butt” in the scrimmage tournament. 

“The best moment of the day was one of the games we were tied at the end and we scored right at the last second to win and just the overdramatic celebrations were fun,” he said. 

Johnson made the final pass that led to the game-winning goal by teammate Luis Auyero. Happy to see old teammates and play some soccer, Johnson reminisced about Mac soccer as the largest period of growth he’s had with one team or group. 

“From coming in freshman year and finding motivation to get better after not making varsity to achieving all the team and individual honors throughout the next three years was really a huge learning process,” Johnson said, “not only learning from the older players and coaches but then coming into a leadership position and being a positive learning influence on people around me.”

Caption by Elena Ulack. Photo by Morgan Eye. 

More Mac soccer stories

Resilience in the face of disappointment

Artistry on the pitch, hard work in the studio

Knights tame Panthers to repeat as bi-district champs