Dir-T Birdz win intramural soccer championship

The Dir-T Birdz celebrate with their traditional “wings” following their 1-0 victory over the Saints in the Co-Rec Soccer championship. (Rebecca Fedor) 

The Dir-T Birdz defeated the Saints, 1-0, to capture the Fall Co-Rec Soccer title Thursday night in front of a lively crowd at Robinson Field.

Both teams were undefeated, 5-0, entering the championship game of the 10-team league.

The Dir-T Birdz knocked off CRUnited and the Saints defeated CCM Crossfire to reach the finals.

The lone goal was scored by Neema Farahmand, a senior biology major who has been on the squad since his freshman year.

“It always feels good to score in the finals, especially with a crowd,” Farahmond said.
Scoring goals is nothing new for the Dir-T Birdz. They have won the last four Co-Rec Soccer championships.

Richard Malebranche, a George Mason alum who continues to play for the squad, started the team in the Fall of 2006 while he was a student. He was the captain of the team for his four years in school, and continues to play because of his position as an admissions representative for the university.

“I decided to keep it going because it was a blast,” Malebranche said.

Despite the 10:30 p.m. start to the match, the stands were packed with fans supporting both teams. The majority of the fans, however, were in attendance to cheer on the Saints, a team compromised of members of Mason’s Catholic Campus Ministry. The CCM students came out in large numbers and with lots energy.

“I came because I love soccer and I love CCM, and I heard it was going to be a good game,” freshman global affairs major Jennifer Searight said.

The Saints may have had the larger fan base, but the Dir-T Birdz won the game, establishing their intramural soccer dynasty.

“We’re more like a family than a team because we all know each other so well,” senior LaToya Evans said. “It’s pretty much the same players each year and we keep getting players that mesh well.”

Like Evans and Farahmond, Justin Jones is a senior who has played for the Dir-T Birdz for the past four years. Jones, a biology major, is the goalkeeper for the squad, and helped his team shutout the previously unbeaten Saints.

“It just means I have a good team,” Jones said. “If we didn’t have a good defense to help me out and a good offense, this wouldn’t have been possible. The goalie is just one person.”

The Dir-T Birdz will compete again in the Spring in the hopes of continuing their soccer dominance.