(Right to Left) Me and Nate Merowitz at the Entrance Way of Gillette Stadium
Last Saturday night, I had the opportunity to watch my first ever sports game at Gillette Stadium, which was the New England Revolution’s final home game against D.C United. Even though the Revs lost 1-2 in overtime, I still had some great experiences that I wish to share.
To start off, I was invited by my good friend Nate Merowitz, whose parents had four free tickets for the game. Given I had never been inside Gillette Stadium before, I immediately accepted his offer. When Nate’s parents drove us into Foxborough, I was surprised with how beautiful the stadium looked at night. Before this game, I only saw Gillette when I was visiting Patriot’s Place during the day, so seeing all the pretty night lights from the stadium was a new experience.
Before we went inside the stadium, we visited the Patriots Hall of Fame, which is a store where you can buy exclusive player jerseys and other merchandise from the New England Patriots. While browsing for our favorite jerseys, Nate’s dad was nice enough to buy me a t-shirt with the jersey number of former Patriots outside linebacker Matthew Judon, who is a 4-time Pro Bowler. This purchase allowed me to claim the first ever football jersey I ever owned.
Because I usually went to Patriot’s Place when visiting Foxborough, I never went inside Gillette Stadium prior to the Revs game. When I went inside Gillette, I was amazed that there were more than just rows of chairs and information booths. Merchandise stores and food/drink stands littered the interior of the stadium, which were really fun to walk through while waiting for the game to start. The quality of the drinks were amazing as well; I tried my first ale called the “Allagash White Ale” and it tasted delicious*.
When the game started at 7:30 PM, Nate’s family and I got seats that had a full view of the field, as well as a TV in case we needed to see a replay of a major moment in the game. Things did not start off well, as the New England Revolution were already losing 0-2 in the first eight minutes of the game. The first goal was scored by United defender Pedro Santos during the three-minute mark, who was assisted by their midfielder Martín Rodríguez. Five minutes later, D.C United scored another goal with their striker Christian Benteke, who was assisted by their defender Lucas Bartlett. Because of these opening results, angry reactions from fans roared inside the stadium, and it was as ear-piercing as people said it would be.
View of the Revs Game on Saturday Night
After that sequence, the pace of the game slowed down for the majority of regulation, with both teams moving the ball back and forth without any scores. That gave me the chance to run into another one of my good friends from Dean College during halftime, who was sports broadcasting major Keegan Hamblett. Apparently, Hamblett got his own tickets to the same game, and I ended up watching the second half of the match with him, Nate and his family. Looking back, I imagine that many Dean students come down to Gillette to watch live games, given the school’s partnership with the stadium. With this in mind, Gillette Stadium could be a convenient place for new Dean students to connect with their local community.
Near the end of the second half, the New England Revolution started to turn things around. While putting pressure near D.C United’s goal post, United’s defender Matti Peltola accidentally kicked the ball into their own goal post while trying to deflect the ball, making the score 2-1. The Revs finally had a point on the board, and with eight extra minutes added to the clock for overtime, New England had a chance to come back.
Despite the team’s best efforts, the New England Revolution ended up losing to D.C United at home in overtime, as the score remained 1-2 United. While leaving the stadium, me and Nate ran into our roommate Kyle Perry while he was working at an information booth, as part of his job as a Game Day Sales coordinator for Gillette.
(Left to Right) Nate, Kyle, and me after the Revs game concluded
Overall, I had an amazing time at Gillette. The stores, food/drinks, and overall setting of the stadium was awesome to experience as a newcomer. I want to thank Nate and his family for inviting me, as it was an incredible experience that I will never forget.
Me and Nate at the Revs Game
* I should mention that I am legally allowed to drink alcoholic beverages, as I am 21 years of age.
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