Malley needs a makeover
By Chris Furnari
It's only fitting that the third and final home game for the men's water polo squad ended in a double-overtime victory. The Broncos scored two goals in the second overtime period to thwart off a charging U.C. Santa Cruz team that had momentum from a game-tying goal with two minutes left in regulation.
The Broncos, however, scored with 1:35 left to make it an 8-7 match, and eventually won, causing the team and fans alike to celebrate their home victory.
Wait, did I just say fans? At a men's water polo game?
You read right. The game managed to draw over 300 enthusiastic fans to the Malley pool last Saturday afternoon. Bronco supporters piled in throughout the entire match, chanting common Bronco cheers and heckling opponents after every mistake.
The stands were so full that some fans hung from the tops of the cement wall just to get a view.
In this atmosphere it was nearly impossible for me to be an unbiased reporter. I couldn't do it. As a student, this sort of enthusiasm displayed by Bronco fans was everything I had hoped for and more.
The only event that compares to the electricity that was in the air is when national powerhouse Gonzaga visits for a men's basketball game.
A few devoted Bronco fans rushed the pool just after their team solidified the victory. However, all of this happened at a venue unfit to host regular home games because of its non-regulation size. And that brings me to the point of this column.
It's time that Malley pool received a face-lift so that everybody can share in what I consider to be one of my greatest memories as a current Bronco. Baseball has Schott Stadium, soccer has Buck Shaw and basketball has Leavey. Shouldn't water polo have their own Malley?
Let's face it, the men's water polo team is one of the few nationally ranked athletic programs at this school and yet one of the most under-funded teams on campus. The men only have one full scholarship to distribute amongst the team and rely heavily on outside fund raising to finance many of the team's long distance trips.
Don't they deserve the proper training facilities that other nationally competitive programs have?
It's time we give them the respect they deserve and the facilities they require. After all, wouldn't it be nice to have more than just three home games where fans can be heard chanting halfway across campus? I certainly think so.
Contact Chris Furnari at (408) 551-1918 or cfurnari@scu.edu.