GO TARTANS!

Cheered on by the crowd, the Tartans hoisted their trophy after being named champions in the Education City Football Tournament.

It wasn’t exactly a nail biter, though.

Weeks before their final game, the team knew they’d clinched the title. They’d won the first seven games in a 10-game league.

Sponsored by Education City’s Sports and Recreation Department, each institution can enter a team in the fall tournament, including the Academic Bridge Program and the Faculty of Islamic Studies.

In recent years, the men played well, but couldn’t quite beat the competition, said Mohamed Hussain, team co-captain and the tournament’s MVP.

“This year, we combined the talent with mental strength, confidence and determination, which enabled us to win the tournament by a clear margin,” said Hussain, who is majoring in business administration.

The Tartans finished the league with seven wins, one loss and two ties — a result that reflects a team effort, said Andreas Karatsolis, assistant teaching professor of English and the team’s coach.

“It takes more than just individual talent for a team to be successful, and this group of students has shown that they are much more than the sum of its parts.”

The men are preparing for spring semester’s Ministry of Interior Indoor Tournament, where they’ll face teams from Education City, Qatar University, College of the North Atlantic, and Stenden University.

They’ll once again look to their fans, Hussain said.

“It is the supporters that make us give our best on the field and boost our motivation. We do not play for ourselves, we play for the university.”