BYU men’s soccer hosted a family-friendly “trick or treat” event on Saturday night at South Field following the final match of the regular season.
Cougar Nation was invited prior to the match to stick around after the final whistle and join the players on the field where they would be waiting to pass out candy and interact with the fans.
“I think it’s awesome, I mean especially the little trick or treat for all the kids,” said Cooper Johnson, one of the fans in attendance. “They think the soccer players are superheroes and we kind of do too, so it’s freaking sweet.”
For many of the players, Saturday night was an opportunity for them to give back to the fans who have shown them so much love.
“It’s super cool, obviously not every game has this environment,” said BYU’s Ammon Oyler. “Seeing kids and seeing family and like what it means to them to just be here and be around the players is really cool.”
“It really is an honor to be able to see the fans that come out and the little kiddos because I was there at one point too,” said BYU’s Porter Iverson. “I didn’t grow up around here, but I remember even in my older years when I started coming to BYU games … I just thought that the guys on the field, I just looked up to them so much. They were so cool, so good at soccer, but so nice … they represent BYU well. And so it makes me want to be like that. And so it was awesome to be able to return that favor, to interact with the kids and have a good experience out here on South Field.”
For some people, going out to a sporting event is easy. For other young families like the Smiths, the trick-or-treat night was a great opportunity to get out of the house and have some fun.
“I think for us it was a really fun night to get out, and we don’t prioritize it as much,” said Ben Smith. “So, to bring the kids and not only go to a sporting event but have something that is fun for them that they are engaged with, they were really excited.”
“We always appreciate when it supports family. When life supports family, the kids are invited and included, it means a lot to us as young parents,” said Annie Smith.
Many fans were in attendance not only for the trick or treating, but also in support of this year’s departing senior athletes on the team’s Senior Night.
Everyone wanted Saturday evening to be special, and with the extra effort by the team to win in honor of the seniors, BYU ended up winning against UVU 3-0, which making the night just that much sweeter.