SCUPI Football Team won the first championship during their ten-year journey!
Published on: December 24, 2024 | Views: 225
In the final of the 2024 Sichuan University Freshman Cup Football Tournament, with only four minutes left in the match, SCUPI was trailing 1:2.
How should I describe the ten-year journey of the SCUPI football team? Often at the bottom of the league standings, the team’s best result had reached the Top 4 in the Freshman Cup eight years ago. Last season, they failed to advance past the group stage of the Jiang’an Cup. But no one ever talked about giving up. The team’s fans have always stood by them and stepped up whenever the team needed them. They shouted hoarsely in support, and that was football.
Decisive moment
SCUPI Football Team’s Group Photos Over the Years
With three minutes remaining in the match, Hangcheng Wu’s powerful long-range shot forced the opposing goalkeeper into a mishandled save. Siyuan Liu followed up with a precise rebound shot, bringing the team back from the edge of defeat. The opposing cheers abruptly stopped, replaced by the joy of equalizing and the chants of “SCUPI, fighting!”. But we knew this wasn’t enough.
Like the ten-year journey of the SCUPI football team, the final was full of highs and lows. There were moments of glory, but also periods of struggle. Yet, we never lacked the confidence to rise back to the top. In the penalty shootout, when Sihan Song saved two penalties and Fucheng Chen scored the decisive penalty into the top corner, we knew that the mythical story of SCUPI had been written in the winter of 2024!
“Hope does not come first, while persistence creates hope.” As the final whistle blew, this phrase was given its most vivid interpretation.
The Championship and Glory Belong to SCUPI!
Let’s shout together:
SCUPI is the champion!
Player Reflections
Once, older players graduated or moved abroad, the team’s future looked uncertain. Over twenty new students joined the team. New teammates became close friends and even started working out together. We took a photo after every Freshman Cup match. I gradually began to feel that the championship was not out of reach.
It’s not easy to bring together both new and old players in such a short time. But I always believed that if we played happily, we would get better, and if we used our brains to play, it would become easier and easier. Following this path, the SCUPI football team has improved. It seems that the championship of the Freshman Cup, once a distant dream, gradually turned into a wish and finally became inevitable.
With such a great team, success is certain!
— 2024-2025 Season Captain, Zehao Dang
Having been with the team through so many losses and eliminations, I now understand how hard-won this championship trophy is! I’ve always believed our team had the best posters, promotions, and team photos, but now we can finally say we are the strongest team at Sichuan University! After the final whistle, we celebrate with alumni, friends, and professors. This was truly the most romantic experience in our youth on the green field.
— 2022-2023 Season Leader, Zhentian Zhong
I’m so happy to win the championship in my first competition at Sichuan University, and I’m very grateful for the chances the team gave me to play. As a fullback, I got plenty of opportunities to train and was thrilled to score my first goal at Sichuan University. I even filled in as goalkeeper in the final and didn’t let the team down. It was an incredibly joyful journey, and I hope to continue improving and pushing for more success in the Jiang’an Cup and the league!
— 2024-2025 Season Player, Sihan Song