Tuesday afternoon turned out to be a very special day on the hill for the Seton Hill Men's Soccer Program.  The team kept its unbeated streak alive with a 2-1 double overtime victory and more importantly added a very special player to their roster.  The Seton Hill University's men's soccer team held a special ceremony to sign seven year old Alex Olbeter, of Greensburg, Pa. before the start of their game against Salem International University. The team has adopted Alex, who suffers from a genetic tumor disorder, through Team IMPACT, a program that pairs children with life-threatening and chronic illnesses with college athletic teams.

You can watch the signing here, courtesy of the Westmoreland Sports Network.

Alex is a second grade student at Nicely Elementary School. Just after his first birthday, Alex was diagnosed with neurofibromatosis, a genetic disorder that causes non-malignant tumor growth. When Alex was three, his parents found a lump behind his ear

and testing showed tumor growth there as well as on his optic nerve. While Alex completed two-and-a-half-years of chemotherapy, his tumors did not respond to treatment and tumors have continued to grow throughout his body.  Alex's doctors are hoping to enroll him in a clinical trial this fall. Alex's favorite number is 22 – the one worn by his favorite athlete, Pittsburgh Pirate Andrew McCutchen. He loves pizza from Jioio's, and two of his favorite shows are "How it's Made" and "Storm Chasers." Alex loves playing Minecraft and Legos, and he and his little sister, Hannah, have two guinea pigs named Lady and Sparkles.

Alex joins the Griffins through Team IMPACT, an organization that matches children with life-threatening and chronic illnesses with college athletic teams to help improve the child's quality of life and to provide the student athletes with a greater life perspective.
 
Alex has attended several practices and scrimmages since the beginning of August, and his new teammates have made time to have dinner with him and his family. The Griffins also plan to attend several of Alex's baseball games this fall.
 
"Our team is looking to Alex to help make the 2014 season our best ever," said Head Coach Dan McCarty. "Alex's positive attitude will serve as great motivation for our team when we're out on the field facing fierce competition in the PSAC, and we hope we can provide him support and camaraderie as he fights for a healthy future."