Yesterday, many Geography students and some lecturers of the University of Wuerzburg met at the center lawn of Campus Hubland for the annual Geography summer party, organized by the faculty’s Student Council. One highlight, as every year, was the football tournament, in which nine teams, all drafted explicitly for the event, competed against each other to win the “Mohorovičić Cup”. The cup is named in honor to the Croatian meteorologist and seismologist Andrija Mohorovičić, who is considered as the founder of modern seismology and after whom the “Mohorovičić discontinuity”, the boundary between the Earth’s crust and the mantle, is named.
With “Team EAGLE”, the University’s EAGLE Master students also participated in the games, playing the important role of representing the Geography Institute’s remote sensing community at the cup. Following the model of Europe’s most successful football clubs, Team EAGLE was formed out of an international selection of players, being (by far) the team with the highest international diversity in the whole tournament: Team EAGLE represented five nationalities, including German (three players), Pakistani, Iranian, Afghan and Singaporean (each one player). Moreover, team EAGLE was one of the two only teams to be multi-gender, being supported on the field by a female striker, who always was dangerous in front of the opponent’s goal. A cheering crowd of EAGLE students, sitting directly next to the field, celebrated the team’s efforts to score enough goals to make it through the group stage, consisting of four games from which four teams remained to play in the semi-finals and final game.
While the individual class of each EAGLE player was clearly outstanding against many “hobby” players of the other teams, a little lack of practice playing in the chosen formation caused the team to be not as effective as needed, especially in front of the opponent’s goal. This, combined with some unlucky situations where the goal post was involved in saving the opponent from being played off by team EAGLE, forced the latter and its supporters to accept that they had been kicked out of the tournament after four hard fight games.
However, being aware of how loosing can make you even stronger, team EAGLE is prepared to fight back one year ahead and to bring the cup home to the Oswal-Külpe-Weg. With a lot of young and fresh talents, expected to arrive in October this year, team EAGLE will improve its skills, its tactics, its class and – its unprecedented, shining spirit!
A fan of the big EAGLE team fan base photo-bombing the EAGLE team picture. Luckily, no security had to step in to secure our talents. Players (from upper left to lower right): Fowad, Silvan, Sebastian, Theresa, Navid, Salim. Missing Player: Benjamin.
A group stage game of two other teams at Mohorovičić Cup.