Though the calendar may say it is spring, the weather outside still proves to be cold.

Regardless of the temperature, this past Saturday was a perfect time for a charity soccer event.

The Kickin' Cancer Tournament, created by the men's soccer team and Alex's Lemonade Stand's Brandeis chapter, is a five-on-five co-ed tournament featuring some of the biggest names from both the men's and women's soccer teams. The tournament, created to raise money for Brandeis Relay for Life, sought to combine the players' joy of soccer with a creative way of raising money.

Men's soccer forward Tyler Savonen '15, the chair of the event, had high hopes upon creating the fundraising tournament.

"We obviously all have a passion for the game, and many of us have had families and friends affected by cancer, so we decided 'What better way to raise money against cancer than to play the sport we love?'" he wrote in an email to the Justice.

As the tournament got underway, the stars came out to shine.

A 16-team field featured the depth of the men's soccer team, allowing for many competitive games that were often decided by merely a single goal. Teams Kostel Still Goes Here and Joe's Angels both made deep runs at the title, but were eventually defeated by early tournament favorite "Tape A Cheetah To Your Back."

Tape A Cheetah To Your Back, led by superstar forwards Sam Ocel '13 and Dara Spital '15, who earned All-America honors for the men's and women's soccer teams, respectively, made it all the way to the finals before running into Team Nick George.

Team Nick George, led by Ocel's strike partner from the fall, Lee Russo '13 and midfielder Tudor Livadaru '14, went undefeated throughout the course of the tournament, using a late goal to take a 2-1 lead in the finals over Tape A Cheetah To Your Back. And while they faced a furious onslaught from their opponents, they were able to claim the championship in dramatic fashion.

The event was a huge success, according to Savonen, who additionally hopes that the event will become a yearly tradition for both the Judges' soccer teams and the greater Brandeis community.

"Going forward, we would like to establish Kickin' Cancer as an annual fundraiser and hopefully increase the number of participants each year," he said.

With the enthusiasm generated in its first year, there is lots of potential for future years.