For most Berkeley High School students, winter break is a time to sleep in, celebrate holiday traditions, and momentarily forget the pressures of school. For BHS soccer players, however, winter break carries its own tradition: the annual alumni game, where current players face off against graduates in a competitive reunion. This event takes place for both the girls and boys teams’ graduates.
So why do these teams prioritize this game year after year? According to BHS senior and girls varsity co-captain Ali Forbush, the event is planned to help continue and strengthen the soccer community. She explained further, saying, “Community is the core value of this program. We literally call our soccer community ‘family,’, and we have family written on the backs of our jerseys and in our team cheer.” As further described by BHS senior and co-captain Taylor Kelso, “I think the game is a good opportunity for current players to reconnect with past players that they were close to and don’t often see anymore.”
Numerous boys soccer alumni showed up for the boys program scrimmage, reconnecting with old friends and teammates. Sharing from his own experience from both the alumni and player side of the game, Cal Poly freshman Sebastian Minn-Murray highlighted the mentorship opportunity provided through the event. “I remember being inspired because boys I used to play with were off doing great things, often involving soccer, and it showed me what I could work towards; I could picture what my life could possibly look like,” Minn-Murray said.
BHS freshman Lila Johnson already values the team spirit felt at BHS, saying, “All the girls have been super welcoming to me, and I’ve had a lot of fun already.” Reflecting on her time as a Jacket, Marion University freshman and BHS class of 2025 alumni Allegra Hong stated, “Playing soccer on this team was the best memory in high school for me.”
Girls soccer assistant coach Patrick James put it simply, “These former students coming back shows how much this program meant and means to them. This game is a huge part of our ‘once a Jacket, always a Jacket’ mentality.”
Unfortunately, this year’s girls alumni game, scheduled for Monday, Dec. 22, 2025, faced unexpected challenges with attendance. Additionally, the morning before the game was tainted with rain, a fact Sydney James, BHS soccer alumna and Univeristy of California Riverside junior, attributed to further thinning attendance. Minn-Murray also stated that the boys’ game attendance was similarly low for the same reasons.
Nevertheless, the players adapted. Instead of a traditional match, girls soccer spent the afternoon reconnecting through friendly competitions. For many, the shift only reinforced why they came in the first place. James stated, “They’re okay rolling with anything, they’re just happy to play together, and they enjoy spending time with each other, even if it’s not what they planned on.”
In the end, as BHS junior Stella Eisen put it, “it’s always cool to see how people who might not even play soccer anymore still show up for the team.” The alumni games are a key part in solidifying relationships between former teammates, and remind current players that the BHS soccer community extends far beyond the field and graduation.