Soccer players hit the field for Fidgi Haig
Fidgi Haig's soccer family honored him in the best way they could — on the soccer field.
"He would always say, "entertain me." Your job is to entertain me," said Dustin Smith, an assistant on the women's team after the current Panthers defeated the alumni 1-0.
They did just that Saturday night in front of a standing-room only crowd at Rick Stottler Field.
The evening started with all of the players joining hands in a circle at midfield in a moment of silence to remember their coach who died this past week after suffering a heart attack.
The team ended the night in the same fashion, with hugs, smiles, tears and spending a moment together remembering the coach that brought them all together.
For the 90 minutes on the pitch, the two teams battled in a game that Fidgi Haig would have been proud of.
"We told the girls we wanted to treat it like any other game," Smith said. "In the second half I tried to open it up a little bit to get a little more excitement, more running end to end."
The result was some great plays from both sides.
Melissa Pyles of the alumni team made the save of the night to keep it 0-0 as she made a diving catch on a nice shot.
A few minutes later, the current team broke through as redshirt sophomore Elin Svensson found the back of the net.
Julia Kantor made sure the lead stuck with a nice diving save late in the game.
"Remember, the alumni team has some players from the Final Four team here and still fit," Smith said. "It has been hard to win the game. I am glad it was a close, competitive game for everybody."
And as the final seconds ticked off the clock, the crowd stood and gave a standing ovation for both teams.
"The turnout was great, we didn't know what to expect," Smith said. "We know there is a lot of love and support for him. And we are just gracious for everyone that did come out, and for a lot of people it was good therapy for them to honor Fidgi in this type of venue."
As people filed out of the complex, the outpouring of love for Fidgi Haig showed on people's faces.
"This is what he would have wanted," Smith said.