The fields were drenched, slick from torrential downpours and fresh sweat.  It was the championship game and the opponent was not an unfamiliar one.  Team ISI #1 faced off against Team ISI #2 on April 18 for the “International School Cup”, a soccer tournament created by The Lion’s Fountain (an Irish Pub in Florence).  After fourteen years of competition this was the first time that two teams from the same school had squared up against each other in the defining game. We had all joked about playing each other, thinking that it was not a possibility. But it came down to this, roommate against roommate, friend against friend, brother against brother… . Inevitably one team had to win.

For forty minutes we were enemies, with the final score being 3-2 and the players of ISI #2 holding the trophy in the air as the game ended. At the end of the “partita”, however, there were smiles all around. And during the trophy ceremony, you would have thought there was only one ISI team. We all yelled out in disappointed unison when Coach Punzo (Rino) did not win “coach of the tournament”.

This led to a unified chant of Rino’s name until we were finally silenced. When the dust settled and the smoke had cleared, there wasn’t a better image than our coach hoisting both trophies while surrounded by his ISI comrades. The tournament has improved our time here, and our friendships. The outcome of the game did not matter, the experience was insurmountable. It was where friends became family, and family became champions.

By Matt DeMarco and Dave Osipow (ISI Florence Students)