Members of After School Special at the Connecticut Football Club.
By Steven Kee ’27
Every Thursday night, members of the After School Special soccer team gather in the indoor arena of the Connecticut Football Club (CFC) to face off against nine other soccer teams in the second season of the Adults Co-ed Blue League.
Founded last winter by Math teacher Ms. Stephanie Neul and Science teacher Dr. Chris Hogue, the team’s regular meets have resulted in great strides. On November 30, they won 9-4 against a team named DMFC, an improvement from a 1-13 loss on September 7.
Ms. Neul attributed the team’s success to an improvement in skill and an increase in membership. “We definitely got better at passing and having a good approach to offense,” Ms. Neul said. “We’re also communicating better, and I think that we’re playing more as a team than at the beginning.”
During games, seven players, including a goalie, must be on the field. Additionally, teams are required to have three female-identifying players on the field at any given time. Dr. Hogue said, “We have players on the team who [have] rarely ever played organized soccer all the way up to people who [have] played competitively.”
Dr. Hogue played soccer growing up and subsequently coached the University of California Berkeley soccer club from around 2006 to 2008. He also plays in a men’s league outside of the CFC and coaches Girls’ Junior Varsity Soccer.
Faculty who are frequent members of the team include Language teacher Mr. Yassine Benzinane, Math teacher Mr. Rob Sanders, Math teacher Mr. Nick Tagge, and Humanities teacher Ms. Abby Kandel, among many others.
For now, the team uniform is casual, and the only requirement is for members to wear purple. The custom began with Math teacher Mr. Carey Kopeikin’s refusal to join the team unless they wore purple. Mr. Kopeikin wears a purple clothing item everyday because it is the color of his favorite American football team, the Baltimore Ravens. According to Ms. Neul, the team is considering an official uniform.
Each member of the team had their own reasons for joining the team. Mr. Benzinane was inspired by his home country’s success in the World Cup last year. “What excited me to go back to soccer was the World Cup. Last year, Morocco did so well,” Mr. Benzinane said. “I wanted to join the team, because I needed some exercise, and I love soccer.”
Ms. Neul wanted to start the team because she thought it would be a fun social activity for the many Choate teachers who play soccer. In addition to the social aspect, teachers appreciate the exercise. Dr. Hogue said, “I also think people just want a way to exercise in the wintertime. It’s indoor soccer, so rain or shine, it doesn’t matter how cold it is, you can get out there and get a nice sweat going for an hour.”
In their short time together, the team has created many fond memories. Ms. Neul’s favorite moments are when the team is able to keep up a good defense against a better team. “Any time we have a really close game or when we hold off a team who is definitely a lot better than us is always exciting,” she shared. Dr. Hogue’s favorite moments are when players who do not usually score make goals as he enjoys “watching their faces light up.”
At the end of the day, this Thursday night social activity gives teachers a chance to have fun with their colleagues. “Win or lose, we really just enjoy having an outlet, getting away from campus, and doing something together,” Dr. Hogue said.
