There were around 5,000 people visiting campus to celebrate Family Weekend at Binghamton University this past weekend. Hundreds of current students welcomed their parents and relatives and had a weekend filled with a variety of activities. Memories were made but it's doubtful that any current Binghamton student had a more special weekend than Noah Luescher.

A sophomore midfielder on the Binghamton men's soccer team, Luescher scored a goal and added an assist in the Bearcats' 2-1 win over nationally-ranked New Hampshire. The victory took place in the Bearcats Sports Complex, which drew a facility-record 3,265 fans to the match.

Of all the fans in the stands, there were six of them who meant a lot to Luescher. His parents and four other relatives arrived from his native Switzerland the night before. They are renting a house for the week and plan on staying through Homecoming Weekend.

"My parents, sister, uncle, aunt and little cousin arrived in town last night," Luescher said after the win. "Ever since I started the school year in August, I've been looking forward to them coming to visit. I miss them a lot and it's great to have them here."

Luescher's game-winning goal against New Hampshire came with just over 25 minutes left to go. It gave the Bearcats a 2-0 lead and brought the noise level at the Bearcats Sports Complex to its highest point of the day. As the crowd cheered, Luescher made a B-line towards his family sitting in the front row.

"I just wanted to give credit to my family after the goal," he said. "They can't come to visit me a lot so I wanted to recognize them. I was able to hug my dad over the fence and they were waving the Swiss flag. I am really thankful to them for making this trip here for me."

The sold out crowd at the men's soccer game was due in large part to the efforts of the Parent and Family Programs Office. It had a pregame lunch and pep rally for all the Binghamton University families visiting their children and promoted the game as one of their signature events during Family Weekend.

"Playing in front of such a huge crowd today was great," Luescher said. "We are very grateful for everything that the campus did for our game today. Even coming out during the pep rally and being introduced to the crowd meant a lot to us."

Luescher and has family celebrated the win at the team's postgame tailgate in the parking lot outside the Bearcats Sports Complex. There was plenty of food there, but Luescher was already talking about some of downtown Binghamton restaurants that he wanted to introduce his family to.

"I definitely want to take them to Dos Rios, the new Mexican place," he said. "I also got to get them to The Colonial."

Coming to another country to go to college can be a daunting task for anyone. Luescher, however, has adjusted more than adequately. In his freshman year, he was named the America East Conference Men's Soccer Rookie of the Year and also made the America East Academic Honor Roll. Luescher was also named the America East Offensive Player of the Week following his heroics in the Family Weekend win over New Hampshire.

Luescher attributes his success to the men's soccer program, which has become a second family to him.

"I miss my family at home but the coaches and players on the team have become a second family to me," he said. "They have made it so easy for me to adapt to the new surroundings and culture. I have two great families and I am very grateful to all of the people who love me like they do."