Saturday’s Allen Community College soccer alumni game seemed more of a trial of endurance than a day on the pitch as the alumni took a debatable 5-4 victory.
With temperatures nearing 100 degrees, no scoreboard and rules loosely enforced, the alumni game seemed more of an endurance test than a preseason exhibition as the conditions took their toll on all participants. 
Davi Guimaraes, an Allen Community College alumnus, shows current Allen players he still has it with this juke move before scoring Saturday.
“It was amazing. We had guys who came in that were here two, three or four years ago,” Allen coach Gefte Blanc said. “They were from Texas, some of them were still in school — Division 1 or Division II that came down to help us out. It’s always nice to come in and see the culture and what we have here.”
One of the players participating was Blanc himself. As players wore down late in the game in the sweltering heat, Blanc came in at center and raised the heartrate of his players with a few close shots. 
“It’s a family, for sure. That’s all we’ve talked about since day one,” Gefte said. “That’s the good thing about it. Some of them are married now. Some have two kids. We always keep in contact with all of them.”
Although a family, Blanc said it was evident early on who would dominate.
The Red Devils quickly jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first few minutes. Seeing a blowout brewing, Gefte opted to move current Allen players to key roles on the Alumni team. Before long, the Alumni rallied to make a game of it.
“They couldn’t keep up. Obviously, a lot of the alumni do not play anymore,” Gefte said. “Some of those guys still play, maybe once or twice a week, but it was all about family and teaching our guys what we’re about at Allen.”
One player not needing assistance was Mathew Akidaug, who played for the Red Devils from 2020 to 2022. After coming to Allen from Ghana in West Africa, Akidaug remained in the United State after graduating and raised a family. His wife and children were on hand to see him score a team-leading three goals.
“Allen is where I started life. Coming from Ghana to this place was a dream come true,” Akidaug said. “It’s amazing coming back here, where I started. I am showing my kids the way. If I can do it, then they can do it.”
