USST alpine squad narrowly defeats USST nordic athletes in second annual soccer match Down Under

USST alpine squad narrowly defeats USST nordic athletes in second annual soccer match Down UnderUSST alpine serviceman Andrew Cesati scored the winning goal in a recent intramural soccer match in New Zealand, helping the U.S. Ski Team’s alpine squad hold off their rivals from the cross-country side of the team. Cesati, a valuable member of Ski Racing‘s editorial staff earlier this summer, is a serviceman for the U.S. Ski Team.

Before becoming a ski technician for the USST, Cesati coached skiing at Vermont’s Mount Mansfield Winter Academy. He also coached soccer camps in Concord, New Hampshire. As an English major at Colby-Sawyer College, Cesati was dean’s list student and the captain of the varsity soccer team. He was a two-time all-conference player and an academic All-American.

Boulder-area soccer coach Eric Neal was not surprised to hear of Andrew’s continued success on the pitch. “Andrew trained with Atomic FC in Boulder this past summer, and we did all we could to get him on the roster for the fall season,” said Neal, who is also the office manager at Ski Racing‘s parent company, Inside Communications Inc. “The skill, energy and passion for the game that Andrew brought with him were infectious, and elevated the entire team’s level of play. Alas, our best contract offer could not pull him away from the US Ski Team.”

The intramural soccer match, held near where the alpine and nordic teams do their summer training at Treble Cone in New Zealand, is a two-year-old tradition. Each year there has been some lighthearted trash-talk associated with the match. Cesati, a modest native of New Hampshire, took the high road and let his technique do the talking.

A play-by-play of the match, along with reflections from the teams’ head coaches, is posted at the U.S. Ski Team’s website. Click here to read it the story.