USD’s biggest intramural rivalry

Senior Ernesto Truqui shares his story about a special rivalry within intramural sports 

Chris Spiering / Sports Editor / The USD Vista

Intramural sports make a big impact on the University of San Diego campus for students who want to take part in a sport or an athletic activity. Some of these athletes take their games very seriously, like they are playing at the NCAA level, rather than the one-day-a-week extracurricular that they joined to hang out with their friends. Serious or not, these games have the potential to create some serious rivalries.  

In the Open Men’s Soccer League, the rivalry between the Redsea Penguinz and IFC stood out the most, compared to other rivalries. The two skilled teams have met in the championship game multiple times throughout the past few semesters. 

The matches between these two teams have caught the attention of other teams as well as the Intramural Coordinator, Jeff Cirillo.  “These teams have been at or near the top of the standings for what would have been six semesters in a row,” Cirillo said. “They usually meet in the playoffs which is inevitably a tense, well-fought match.”

Team IFC has won four of the last five championships and the Redsea Penguinz have won it twice since the team was introduced. 
Senior Ernesto Truqui, captain of team IFC, explained how he first got involved with the sport, and what makes intramural soccer so fun. “Intramural soccer is awesome,” Truqui said. “Since the field is smaller and there are less players than in normal soccer, there is much more running and interaction with the ball, meaning that everybody gets chances to be dangerous and score. There are a lot more goals than in regular games. I began playing in my first-year semester but then made it into the Division I (D1) team, so I became ineligible to play intramurals. For the next three semesters I coached my team, dressed up in a suit and everything, until I was able to play again.”

For some, the comradery really starts in the playoffs, as only the top teams can make it to the single-elimination tournament.  “Playoffs are when the competition really begins,” Truqui said. “It is when we come alive. It is what we wait for all semester long. It is when games are high stakes because one loss and you’re out.”

IFC and the Redsea Penguins go back about five years,when both teams were first created. The hard-fought matches and tension caused by the comradery have created an intense rivalry that’s hard to miss over the years.  “The Redsea Penguinz are our biggest rivals over the past four years,” Truqui said. “I can say that at the beginning, we did not get along too well and games got heated. But as semesters went through and as we got to know each other, we became good friends. However, every match against them resulted in sparks flying out. All our games were intense, just as you cannot expect a friendly match between Real Madrid vs Barcelona, Liverpool vs United, or Bayern vs Borussia.” 

When the rivalry was just getting started, the Penguinz had the bragging rights first because they won the championship in the first semester as a team. IFC didn’t take that too lightly and went on a bit of a winning streak themselves. IFC has a 4-2 advantage over the Penguinz in head-to-head matchups.  “We watched them lift the trophy in our first semester and vowed never to lose against them again,” Truqui said. “We were able to fulfill that promise for three years, winning four out of the last five championships. Although, the one we didn’t was because we were disqualified for poor sportsmanship after beating the Penguinz in the semifinals. In fact, both of us were disqualified after the game. Proof of how heated our games could be.”

Intramural coordinator, Cirillo knows that most of the athletes playing in these games are also teammates from other club teams, maybe even a different sport. This is even an opportunity where international students have a chance to get to know their classmates. “What’s fun about watching these teams play is many of them know each other and either play together or have played together on our Club Men’s Soccer team,” Cirillo said. “Many of them are friends. These teams add so much to our program in terms of competition & commitment. We work hard and are grateful to be able to provide a space where some of our international students can connect over the common language of this beautiful sport.” 

For Truqui, it’s not all about winning though, as the time spent playing with other USD students is what he’ll remember most of intramural sports.“Playing with friends and classmates is cool because it brings you closer together,” Truqui said. “It is a chance to get to know people outside of class or the regular social circles. Competition is a fantastic way to bring out the best and worst in people’s characters and it allows you to get to know them on a more personal level. In my particular case, I share treasured memories with my friends lifting the IM trophy. In 20 years, when we get together and think back on our college years, we will surely remember the magical IM nights.”