When cheerleader Eve Solomon joined her team in cheering for the Buffalo Bulls at the International Bowl on Jan. 3 in Toronto, Ont., she was hardly expecting anyone other than a football player to take a knee.
Instead, in the second quarter of the game, she was stunned to see her U.S. Marine boyfriend, 23-year-old Lance Corporal Mike Neisen, coming down to the field of the Rogers Centre dressed in full military garb in order to propose to her.
Solomon and Nielsen have known one another for six years.
Solomon, who thought her boyfriend was at home watching the game between the Bulls and the Connecticut Huskies on TV, was completely surprised by his proposal.
Neisen was set to leave for training in California two days after the game, where he will eventually be deployed to Iraq. Thus, he decided to take this chance to publicly declare his love for Solomon.
"We've been talking about getting engaged, but as far as the specifics, I decided to do it recently," Neisen said. "This opportunity kind of presented itself, so I wanted to grab it because I figured I wouldn't have an opportunity like this."
The Lance Corporal, a member of Alpha Company in the Anti-Terrorism Battalion based in Rochester N.Y., wanted the proposal to be a once-in-a-lifetime experience for his girlfriend.
"It is my second-last day home, and I wanted it to be a high point for her," Neisen said. "I had decided I was coming up by myself with a purpose, and that was to propose to her."
Solomon was thrilled by her boyfriend's surprise plan, and she had no inkling that he would show up.
"It was a blessing to be here and to be invited to come here," Solomon said. "This is a memory of a lifetime I will never forget."
Solomon described her feelings of shock as she spotted her boyfriend and became aware of his purpose.
"When I saw him in uniform I thought maybe he had to go back to his base, but then it hit me," Solomon said. "I thought, 'Oh no-I'm going to fall over. My knees are shaking,'" Solomon said.
According to Neison, he decided to wear his military uniform at the suggestion of his comrades and fellow officers.
"They said, 'You've got to dress in uniform. It will look more professional,'" Neisen said.
Though the football game did not end well for Solomon's team, she was certainly happy with the outcome of her day.
Additional reporting by Asst. Sports Editor Samantha Hicks
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
