For those of you who don't know, the University of Portland has a history of having one of the top Women's Soccer Programs in the entire country. For example, famous alumni from our soccer program include Megan Rapinoe (US), Christine Sinclair (CAN), and Sophie Schmidt (CAN). Many of the players who have come through the University of Portland have had successful international careers as well as careers playing professionally in the US. Naturally, the best soccer program in the country attracts the best soccer fans, which is where the Villa Drum Squad comes in.
The Villa Drum Squad is a group of guys that live in one of the dorms on campus, Villa Maria Hall. Every game, every week they come out and they support the women's and men's soccer teams. It is a deep rooted tradition within the halls of Villa, which is one of its biggest draws for not only incoming freshman, but also for recruiting for the soccer teams. The Drum Squad is the most spirited group of young men in all of soccer, and let me tell you why.
Every weekend is filled with the excitement of the game to come in the evening. On Friday afternoons, the halls are filled with "GAME DAY" and guys asking each other if they are going to the game (which is most likely yes). There are guys talking about the stats of our teams compared to the stats of the other teams, who beat who that week, where the good match-ups are, and what the team needs to do to get a win that night. Each night before the games, the guys all grab their drums, scarves, and kilts and march over to the games.
At the games, it's an endless onslaught of cheers and jeers involving the teams out on the field, as well as the air being filled with the instrumentation of all the drums that the Drum Squad is playing. Whether they want their team to score or the other team to go back to where they came from, it is nearly non-stop. The ritualistic nature of the games and the rhythmic chanting gives all the guys a sense of community within the dorm as well as out on the student section. Each chant there is an insane amount of energy that come from the guys, which translates out on the field to the players giving their all every game.
Many of the players on our teams, as well as coaches, have said that the Villa Drum Squad was a major factor to them coming to the University of Portland and try to be the best team in the country. I can say with confidence that the Villa Drum Squad, and the whole UP community in general, is the greatest group of fans in the country.
In case you need some photos to see what the Villa Drum Squad is about, take a look:
