Mumford & Sons take on Whitman's soccer teams

As Mumford & Sons' Gentlemen of the Road tour rolled into town yesterday, a group of Whitman soccer players from the men's and women's soccer teams took on Marcus Mumford (back row, far right), the rest of the band and their roadie team in a quick game of pick-up soccer. 

"I couldn't imagine a better way of getting past the starstruck phase," said soccer player Brianna Brown '16. "It's an experience I'll keep with me forever." 

The early evening face-off took place on the Whitman Athletic Fields directly behind the main stage for this weekend's pop-up festival, which, alongside Mumford & Sons, is bringing Foo Fighters, The Flaming Lips and more to Walla Walla for two days. As well as the main stage events on Friday and Saturday, downtown Walla Walla is closed from Main St. to Second Ave. to play host to a number of regional and local bands.

Daniel Kim '16, another Whitman team member, said: "At first, it felt unreal that we were going to play against international stars with such stature in the music world. But as we got into the game, it felt more like a casual pickup game with normal people who wanted to play and not these famous musicians and roadies."

Unfortunately for Marcus and his bandmates, Whitman's team won by a decisive margin of 6-2.

Who would Brown like to take on next? 

"I know Dave Grohl is working on healing up that broken leg, but I'd love to play Foo Fighters," she said. "They've always been one of my favorite bands and I think they would be really fun to kick around with!"