The soccer community in Boone took a huge hit May 26, 2020, after the university’s men’s soccer program was cut due to financial issues from COVID-19. It was a huge defeat for head coach Jason O’Keefe at the time, with all the work he’d done stripped away from him. Fast-forward two years and O’Keefe started a new era of soccer in the High Country with Appalachian Football Club, winning a trophy in his second season as co-owner.
“It feels horrible when you put your blood, sweat and tears into something and when you’re about to see the benefit of your hard work it’s all taken away,” O’Keefe said.