VIDEO: MEN'S SOCCER CANADA WEST HOME OPENERS THIS WEEKEND

SOCCER (CANADA WEST)
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 2010

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

MEN'S SOCCER CANADA WEST HOME OPENERS THIS WEEKEND

LANGLEY, British Columbia – In men’s soccer action the No. 7 Spartans welcomes the University of Victoria Vikes and the University of the Fraser Valley Cascades to Rogers Field. Both matches are scheduled for a 7:15 p.m. kick-off.  The Spartans (0-1) season opener on the road was a disappointing match against cross-town rivals, the UBC Thunderbirds, who shut out the Spartans 3-0 Friday night in Vancouver.  

 

SPARTANS (0-1-0)
CIS Ranking: No. 7
Canada West Standing: 7th
Last Week: British Columbia 3-0 Loss
Streak: 1 Loss
2009 conference record: 8-2-4 (2nd)
2009 CW Championship: 0-2 (4th)
2009 CIS Championship: 2-1 (3rd)
Last CW title: 2007
Last CIS title: N/A
TWU Lifetime vs Victoria: 7-10-4
TWU Lifetime vs. Fraser Valley: 4-1-3

The Spartans, who have almost half of their roster, 14 of 30, in their second year or less have some very big shoes to fill if they are to vie for a post season spot in the highly competitive Canada West. TWU has lost 17 of their 29 goals scored last season as well as their mainstays on defence. Gone are Canada West goal scoring leader Nathan Pogue, who finished with 11 goals and CIS Player of the Year defender Paul Hamilton. Also weakening the backline is the potential season ending injury to fourth year defender Jake Jorgensen.

TWU has brought in a strong recruiting class, of 10 players, with hopes of repeating in their quest to return to the CIS championship. Rookies who could have an immediate impact are: defender Denny Serifovic of Surrey, BC, midfielder Chase Wickham of Richmond, B.C. and forward Andre Costa of Ipatinga, Brazil. Transfer forward Danfi Parker of Woodbridge, Va will also look to have an impact on the program.

VIKES (0-2-0)
CIS Ranking: N/A
Canada West Standing: 8th
Last Week: Calgary 3-0 L, Lethbridge 1-0 L,
Streak: 2 Losses
2009 conference record: 8-5-1 (3rd)
2009 CW Championship: 2-0 (1st)
2009 CIS Championship: 2-1 (5th)
Last CW title: 2009
Last CIS title: 2004
Victoria Lifetime vs TWU: 10-7-4

The 0-2 Vikes are coming into the weekend looking for their first win of the season, having been defeated 3-0 by the University of Calgary Dinos in Calgary on Saturday and 1-0 by the University of Lethbridge Pronghorns in Lethbridge, Alta. on Sunday afternoon.  

It will be a case of trial by fire for an overhauled UVic Vikes men’s soccer team as they pursue their third consecutive conference championship after graduating 12 key veterans on their 2009 roster. For the first time in five years the Vikes will be without star striker Cole McFarlane, a three time CIS All-Canadian who topped the Vikes scoring charts for five consecutive seasons. Second year defender Bobby Eng, the Vikes only returning conference All-Star and newly appointed Captain Jordie Oberg will lead a new-look Vikes roster that features 75 per cent of its players in their first or second year.

Oberg, a third year striker and Canada West’s third-highest scorer in 2009 will play a key role in galvanizing the Vikes youthful offence. Oberg and McFarlane led the Vikes to a conference high 35 goals last season. Leading the squad in the backfield will be Canada West All-Star Bobby Eng, who logged a team-high 1700 minutes of playing time in his rookie season. Eng will feature with Elliot Mitrou, the Vikes new ‘keeper who emerged from a three-way preseason battle for the no. 1 jersey.

So far in the early season the Vikes offence has yet to find the back of the net, while their defence has given up four goals in two matches.

CASCADES (1-1-0)
CIS Ranking: N/A
Canada West Standing: 2nd Tied
Last Week: Lethbridge 2-0 W, Calgary 4-2 L
Streak: 1 Loss
2009 conference record:  4-8-2 (6th)
2009 CW Championship: N/A
2009 CIS Championship: N/A
Last CW title: N/A
Last CIS title: N/A
Fraser Valley Lifetime vs TWU: 3-1-4

On Saturday the1-1 Cascades come to Rogers Field fresh off of a weekend split in southern Alberta. The Cascades return to the lower mainland after a 2-0 shutout win over the Lethbridge Pronghorns on Saturday night and a 4-2 loss to the University of Calgary Sunday afternoon in Calgary.

The Cascades will look to its core of veterans to continue progress the program has made over the past several seasons, while adding an impressive recruiting class. New to the Cascades this season and expected to have an impact are  Mohammed Aziz, a midfielder from Abbotsford, B.C., Stuart Rowlands, a striker from Chilliwack, B.C. and Sasa Plavsic, a midfielder from Coquitlam, B.C. All three played this past summer for the Abbotsford Mariners PDL team and jumped right into the Cascades starting lineup.

So far this season the Cascades have been led by Sasa Plavsic with two goals, Craig Robinson and Juan P. Mora Perea with one goal each. As a group the Cascades are in second place in CW with four goals per game and first in total shots with 17.50 per game. Returning from last year’s squad is leading goal scorer Ethan Claibourne-Collins who tallied four goals in 2009.

Defensively the Cascades are backstopped by Colton Keam with a 2.00 goals against average.  Keam is first in total saves with 14 and saves per game with seven as well as being fourth in CW in save percentage at .778. As a team Fraser Valley is sixth in CW with a 2.00 goals against average, first in saves with 14 and tied for first in shutouts with one.

-TW

Last Updated: 2010-09-16
Author: Scott Stewart