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GOSHEN, Ind. - "What happened on this field, there is something very special to it, something that brings us together like nothing else could."

The words of long-time Goshen College soccer player and follower, Galen Graber, resonated with young and old in the crowd as the program officially celebrated its 50th anniversary season with a pre-game reception on Saturday.

"It is amazing how much detail is remembered and how vivid those memories are for these guys even down to specific goals," said Athletic Director Tim Demant. "They all have a story to tell."

Their stories were told as all but one living coach was in attendance along with players from the original 1958 squad, the current Maple Leafs, and virtually every step in between. Friendships were renewed and new ones built as Maple Leafs, young and not quite as young gathered to honor the past and support the future of the program.

"We are under this tent today because of passion," said Maple Leaf Athletic Club President Pat Vendrely. "Soccer is about passion and Goshen is about passion."

That passion has led to unprecedented success both on and off the pitch. As Graber recounted a short version of the program's history, grins of satisfaction and accomplishment could be seen on the faces of former players who spent some of the best years of their lives wearing the purple and white of the Maple Leafs. "There is nothing like the feeling of putting on a Maple Leaf uniform," Graber said.

The early days of coaches Art Smucker, Ed Herr, Harold Yoder, and Byron Shenk were told as they established the program quickly, turning it from winless in its first two seasons to a perfect 10-0 in 1965. The 1965 team, nicknamed "Feet of Perfection" remains the only undefeated team in program history.

Graber went on to recount the late 60's and early 70's under coach John Ingold when the program was fueled by missionary kids who grew up playing the game of soccer. The Ingold days were highlighted by a fierce rivalry with Notre Dame that led Irish players to view playing Goshen as "a crusade."

In the 70's - the "golden age" of Goshen soccer, the Leafs made its first trip to the NAIA National Championships in 1971. Two year's later, Goshen returned and went 9-of-10 on penalty kicks to win a pair of matches and place 5th overall. The time period was characterized with the influx of the "Pennsylvania Boys," whose families continue to have a significant impact on the pitch.

Dwain Hartzler began his 25-year reign as the head coach in 1976 and continued right where Ingold left off. In 1977, Goshen returned to the NAIA National Championships for the third time in the 1970s and a year later the Leafs defeated Notre Dame to snap their 28-game winning streak - the largest streak in NCAA DI history.

The 1980's were characterized by players like two-time NAIA All American Scott Bodiker, who Graber remembered as "the kind of competitor that Maple Leaf soccer is known for."

The 1990's saw players like Kerry Escayg and Sam Richardson who tallied more than twenty goals each in 1998. As the program turned the century, it was handed over to current head coach Tavi Mounsithiraj, who has restored the program, leading the Leafs to their first Mid-Central College Conference title since 1990 (2005) and first NAIA National Championship since 1977 (2006).

All told, the Goshen College Men's Soccer Program has seen 19 MCC titles, 25 NAIA All Americans, 128 All MCC selections, and 456 victories.

Off the pitch, Goshen has produced 47 All American Scholar-Athletes who have gone on to highly successful careers in medicine, business, and ministry just to name a few. Nearly twenty former Leafs have become highly successful coaches within the high school and collegiate ranks.

There truly is something special about Goshen College Men's Soccer and a Maple Leaf player.

And there always will be!