Sweet soccer centennial for GFS

Germantown Friends hosted the centennial anniversary celebration of its soccer rivalry with Moorestown Friends and Friends Select on Saturday, and boys' head coach Matt Zipin said things turned out great, especially since his team won both games.

"It's great to celebrate such a long and mutually beneficial series," Zipin said. "We play each other every year, and they're always good, competitive games."

Germantown Friends won the boys' game, 9-0, over Friends Select and the girls' game, 4-0, over Moorestown Friends.

While both games do count in the Friends League standings, the teams gathered Saturday for a larger purpose.

Before the games, the schools' alumni and current players paraded around the Germantown Friends track with flags that represented different years of Friends League soccer. Various memorabilia, such as old trophies and jerseys, were on display, and alumni from as far back as the 1940s talked over old times.

"The oldest alumni was from the class of 1939, from Germantown Friends, and he was 70 years out of high school, and he as spry as he could be," said Carl Tannenbaum, a former Germantown Friends athletic director and Friends Schools historian.

The heads of each school said a few words honoring former players, coaches, and referees, and the captains of each team presented a ceremonial ball to the head coaches.

In general, the retired players and current players found they had many things in common.

"Sometimes the kids feel like they're playing in a vacuum," Germantown Friends girls' head coach Sam McIlvain said, "and it's nice to remind them that they are part of something bigger."