Miner Alumni Back for More at 49ers

Right: NMT Miners, Miner alumni and a few Minerettes pose in front of the goal following the friendly match during the 49ers celebration.

SOCORRO, N.M., Oct. 25, 2007 – It was another great showing by NMT soccer alumni at the Sixth Annual 49er Miner-Alumni Match on Saturday, Oct. 20, 2007. Seventeen past members of NMT men’s soccer club returned to Socorro to mix it up on the field with the current Miner squad. Alumni ventured from as far away as Texas, Colorado and Virginia just to get a chance to kick-about with old teammates and new Miners.

“I get so pumped for this Alumni game, no matter which side I’m on,” said Paul Dailey, a 2006 chemical engineering graduate, and current graduate student at the University of Virginia. Dailey played for the Miners for five years, and served the club as president for his last two.

Although friendly and light-hearted, the match also ultimately brings out the competitive spirit in both sides, and there is a certain amount of pride that goes along with winning the game. For the second year in a row, the alumni came away with the win, 4-3. Tyson Gobble scored the first goal for the alumni, while goalkeeper Zach Peterson scored the first for the Miners while starting as a field player. In 2006, the alumni won in penalty kicks.

The Miner-Alumni match has become a tradition during Tech’s annual 49ers celebration. Just like the historic Rugby Alumni Pygmy match, the game serves as a homecoming for these past student athletes. A couple of alumni women from the Minerettes are also always anxious to mix it up with the guys. A coed fun match with questionable rules has also become routine following the regular game.

The 49ers alumni game usually takes place one week before the more serious NIRSA regional conference tournament, which the Miners host this year. First round games begin at 10 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 27, at the Tech Athletic Field, with NMT taking on Northern Arizona University at noon.

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