The562’s coverage of Cabrillo Athletics is sponsored by the Cohn Family.
Separated by nearly 7,000 miles and 19 hours on the clock, there’s not much that unites the Westside of Long Beach and the North Island of New Zealand.
But on a picture-perfect Monday afternoon in Long Beach, all it took was a friendly game of football to bridge those divides. The Cabrillo boys’ soccer program welcomed guests from St. Paul’s Collegiate School for an international friendly, offering the two teams a unique opportunity to play against–and learn from–a group of teenagers from the other end of the globe.
Cabrillo athletic director Garrett Young was instrumental in making the game a reality, after being forwarded an email that St. Paul’s was looking for another scrimmage in Southern California during their visit to the States. He quickly connected with his coaches and locked in Cabrillo as a destination.
“When we talk about trying to be ambassadors to the world, what better way than having the opportunity to play a team from New Zealand, and bringing them to Long Beach to play at Cabrillo High School,” said Young. “We want to try to make this a regular thing, and show Long Beach that Cabrillo is changing, and we’re going to be bringing these things in, bringing the community in, and showing this positive thing of sports here at Cabrillo.”
Once the game was scheduled, the Jags were able to quickly schedule two practices in an attempt to get back into form. With their season ending months ago, head coach Pat Noyes knew his team wouldn’t be at their best, but he couldn’t pass up the opportunity to give his players the unique fixture.
“It was great. Bringing in a whole new culture, it’s a lifetime experience,” Noyes said. “It’s the same reason I take (the team) to Big Bear, it’s the same reason I take them to Avalon, it’s just a new experience. And everyone got to play, I’m glad I was able to get the younger kids in there.”
St. Paul had multiple legs on its trip, which included a visit through Southern California, before a stop in Arizona. Their first stop was to In-N-Out, which lived up to the hype and provided a perfect “Welcome to America” moment. Soccer was the common thread of the trip, but it also included visits to American landmarks like the Grand Canyon, Santa Monica Pier, and more.
“Essentially, this whole trip is just like a football tour,” explained Jet Lim, who took over as the school’s Director of Football less than four months prior to the trip. “It’s to give these boys an experience to help broaden their perspective, and hopefully create some links between either clubs, or between universities and provide them opportunities to go overseas.”
St. Paul’s roster is made up of players aged 14-18, and some with aspirations for playing soccer at an American university in the near future. The trip included stops at UCLA and Grand Canyon University, giving the team a look at some of the US’s amateur soccer facilities. Coaches and players alike were raving about the facilities they’d seen in Southern California–including Jaguar Stadium–which is unlike what they’re used to in New Zealand.
“Going to a different country. It’s always good to see the culture, and see how everything’s so different to what it’s like back at home,” said St. Paul player Lucca Lim. “But my favorite part of being in America is just seeing all the high schools and all the soccer teams we’ve played, and seeing the amazing facilities they have over here. Because in New Zealand, we’re not blessed with these facilities. So coming here, it’s a real eye-opener. I love it, it’s amazing.”
Prior to the match against Cabrillo, the entire St. Paul team lined up to perform the haka, a ceremonial dance with deep cultural significance. The haka has been made famous in recent years by the New Zealand rugby team (commonly known as the All Blacks), and it was performed as a show of respect and a celebration of New Zealand’s culture.
“I thought it was very intense, it was great,” said Cabrillo senior Duanne Baker about the pregame haka. “I was asking Noyes when he first set it up, the first thing I asked was ‘Are they gonna do the haka?’ So when he came out and told us that they were gonna do it, I was really excited.”
When the game got underway, Baker opened the scoring with a goal in the 6th minute, giving him one last memory from his Cabrillo career. He said he was grateful to have the opportunity to play an opponent from another part of the world, one that presented a different playing style and challenge on the field.
“I think it was great. It’s always a privilege to be put in a situation like this,” Baker said. “And I feel like for seniors, I think for us, it was pretty fun. I just wish I got to play longer.”
Just six minutes later, the visitors were able to tie the game off a corner kick, as Max Gurnick was able to put home the equalizing goal. Gurnick said it was fun to play against a different style of opponent compared to what he’s used to back home.
“The quality over here is really good. It’s a lot faster, and it’s a completely different game style to what we play in New Zealand,” he explained. “It’s good to experience that. I feel like in America, it’s more freestyle. They play with more freedom and I feel like that’s the biggest difference.”
Lucca Lim put St. Paul’s in the lead with a goal off a rebound in the 37th minute, giving the visitors a 2-1 lead at the half. They would add another goal just shy of the hour mark on a header from Matthieu Lawrence, claiming a 3-1 victory over the Jags.
But the result of the game was of minimal importance compared to the show of hospitality and sportsmanship between the two schools. As the players and coaches enjoyed a postgame BBQ of burgers and hot dogs, they shared stories and laughs with counterparts they’d likely never see again.
Coach Lim acknowledged the culture difference between the two countries, and said he appreciated the atmosphere the Jags provided with their marching band and cheerleaders in the stands.
“There’s a massive culture difference between New Zealand and America. In New Zealand, we have this thing called ‘tall poppy syndrome’ where if someone is doing too well or is expressing themselves too much, we like to cut them down and bring them back down a little bit, which is not the greatest,” Lim explained. “Having your fans here and even just seeing cheerleaders, like for us, we’d be like, ‘Oh, why are they trying so hard?’
“But it’s so awesome to have that spirit, that passion; and the boys actually started to really enjoy it.”
