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International student groups on campus competed in a round robin tournament of 7-on-7 soccer at Franklin. Credit: Alex Remnick

For an afternoon, cultures collided. Swahili was spoken as often as Spanish, and Africans were as prominent as Asians.

Over fifty international Penn students flocked to Franklin Field on Sunday for the inaugural Penn World Cup, a round-robin soccer tournament organized by the Penn African Students Association.

The cultural contrasts were distinct as PASA, the Caribbean-American Student Association, Mexico@Penn and the South Asia Society all competed on the pitch.

PASA designed the event to address what they perceived as a cultural void on campus. By all statistical standards, the Penn community is diverse, with over 30 culture-based student groups. However, there’s little cross-cultural interaction.

“The [purpose of the] event is to bring Penn cultural groups together,” PASA Vice President Gloria Aghaulor said.

“There are a lot of cultural groups at Penn but there isn’t really a platform where the cultural groups … mingle and have events together,” explained Beverly Sithole, the President of PASA.

The tournament started to change that, as Franklin Field was colored by a sea of national jerseys. Familiarity was key to the afternoon’s smooth passing and constant attacks. The high-scoring games meant even the teams waiting to play were on their feet.

“If you have different parts of the world coming in and interacting, then you’re expanding your knowledge of different cultures,” Sithole added.

Mex@Penn survived the hotly contested ethnic battle with three wins in four games. USSR — a mosaic of international students competing with no particular cultural allegiance — also had three wins and the same goal differential. However, it was Mex@Penn’s victory over the USSR in the head-to-head match-up brought them the crown.

Energy was high throughout the afternoon as students rallied around their flag. But the nationalism on the pitch quickly gave way to friendliness off of it.

“Everyone’s a soccer player,” explained sophomore Greg Hall, who participated on the SAS squad.

SAS Treasurer Shantenu Agarwal believes that “a lot of cultures don’t mingle because they don’t have a lot of things in common.”

Soccer proved to be that essential rallying point.

The cultural barrier that creates walls based on people’s differences disappears on the field, Agarwal said.

“After the game, [I] went up and shook hands with everyone,” Hall added. “I had seen a couple of them around campus [but] got to talk to them a little bit.”

Many of the participants had seen each other during pick-up games, when cones were the best stand-in for goal posts.

They all appreciated the chance to play on Franklin Field.

A few of the students had been reduced to playing at Drexel University when fields were routinely unavailable at Penn. Jumping the fence was the only way to satisfy their soccer fanaticism.

PASA plans to make the event a Penn tradition. Sithole wants to develop a dialogue around the prize, as each successive winning team will be engraved on the trophy. A history has to start somewhere.

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