St. John’s held its first ever SocctoberFest celebrating the men’s and women’s soccer teams in front of Belson Stadium last Wednesday and Thursday before the matches against Creighton and Georgetown.

SJU RedZone sponsored the event. They set up a pregame tailgate with lawn games such as KanJam and Corn-Hole, and served German food like bratwursts, sauerkraut and pretzels, keeping in line with the Oktoberfest theme.  The RedZone crew also gave out free t-shirts to the fans who were walking into the stadium.

Paige Band, RedZone co-chairperson of transportation and logistics, said, “RedZone is here to show support for our teams and to provide fun for the students at the games.”

Band was also happy with the turnout on Wednesday night, despite the rain.  “Soccer plays on in rain, sleet or shine,” she said.

“We’re hoping to make SocctoberFest a tradition here at St. John’s.  The whole month of October acts as our homecoming, and holding events for the soccer teams serves as a lead-in for Tip-Off and the basketball team,” said RedZone Chairman Ridge McKnight.  “We’re trying to break attendance records and giving away free stuff and food is the way to do it,” he said.

There were also contests for the fans after the games started.  Freshman Anthony Genna attempted to score on a corner-kick in order to win an iPad.

“Well, I wasn’t able to kick the ball in, but it was definitely worth a shot.  It was fun trying to do it and my roommates thought it was funny. The sausage before the game was really good too,” Genna said.

Men’s soccer lost to Creighton on Wednesday night and the women’s team beat their rival Georgetown on Thursday.

Before heading back to the t-shirt booth, McKnight said, “RedZone’s promise is to create experiences that leave long lasting memories.”