MEN’S SOCCER ANNOUNCES FIVE SIGNINGS FOR THE FALL
 |
| Coach Pat Rohla |
MEN’S SOCCER
FRIDAY, AUGUST 26, 2011
RECRUITS
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MEN’S SOCCER ANNOUNCES FIVE SIGNINGS FOR THE FALL
LANGLEY, British Columbia – The Trinity Western University men’s soccer team is pleased to officially announce the signing of five recruits for the 2011-12 season. The list includes Spencer Schmidt (F-Abbotsford, B.C.), Brayden Gant (M-Maple Ridge, B.C.), Andrew Dobbie (D-Langley, B.C.), Andy Phillips (M-Lake Errock, B.C.) and David Malamura (F-Surrey, B.C.).
With the signing of these five players, head coach Pat Rohla believes his team – one that missed the playoffs last year for the first time since 2002 and finished the regular season fifth in Canada West with a 5-5-4 record – has taken some major strides forward for both the immediate future and years beyond.
“I think with the players we brought in we have certainly added some important components, especially up front and through the middle, that will pay dividends very early and also down the road,” Rohla said.
Spencer Schmidt
Schmidt comes to the Spartans after two years at the University of Washington (2004-2005) and a year at the University of the Fraser Valley (2007) and joins Trinity Western entering his fourth year of CIS eligibility.
“Spencer Schmidt is an out and out striker who is a local product having played in Abbotsford,” Rohla said. “He’s a goal-scoring machine from what I’ve seen in camp so far. He’s got a nose for the net and that’s something we badly missed last year. He’s got good vision for a striker and great timing and comes with a good pedigree.”
The 5-foot-11 forward, who graduated from W.J. Mouat Secondary in Abbotsford, has already proven himself to be a distinguished striker at the highest university levels. In his second year with Washington, Schmidt started 14 of the 17 games he played in, scored three goals and had a team high 46 shots. He finished his two-year career at the Seattle-based university having played in 30 games and registered 58 shots.
Following his second year with the Huskies, Schmidt returned to Abbotsford to join Fraser Valley where he was an integral part of the Cascades 2007 campaign. In his only year with the Cascades, Schmidt led the conference in shots per game, with 4.14, was tied for third in goals with eight – behind TWU’s Nathan Pogue who had 14 goals and tied with the Spartans Adrian Kekec who also had eight – and was alone in third in points with 11.
“I wanted to join a first class program both academically and athletically,” said Schmidt, who plans to study business at TWU. “This school was the perfect fit.”
Schmidt was a two-time member of Canada’s Under-17 team having played for the national side in 2002 and 2003. In 2001 he was named the B.C. Soccer Athlete of the Year.
Brayden Gant
The 6-foot-1 centre midfielder is a powerful player who joins the Spartans already a well-seasoned and, even at 20 years of age, physically prepared player.
“Brayden is ultra-fit,” Rohla said. “He’s a good box to box runner. His first touch is spectacular. He’s got great vision. He’s a good passer. He’s the type of player that we really missed through the middle of the park. He’s a very good athlete and very good ball player. He’s the complete package and he’s going to make us better. He’s a winner.”
Before arriving at Trinity Western, Gant was a part of the Vancouver Whitecaps Residency program and, before that, the Prospects program. During his younger years, Gant was named to the U14, U15 and U16 B.C. provincial teams as well as being a member of the Canadian Soccer Association’s National Training Centre.
Prior to joining the Whitecaps Residency program, he played his youth soccer with Alouette United Metro. This past year he played with the Coquitlam Metro-Ford Soccer Club in the Pacific Coast Soccer League’s Reserve division.
“I came to Trinity Western because of its outstanding soccer program and I came here to win CIS national championships,” Gant said.
David Malamura
The 5-foot-6 striker arrives at Trinity Western having played with the Vancouver Selects FC U18 Metro A team in 2010-11 and with the Selects FC U18 Metro B team in 2009-10, the latter of which he won a provincial championship with. 
The graduate of Surrey Christian Secondary helped lead his high school side to a silver medal at the 2011 B.C. High School Boys AA provincial championship and comes to the Spartans a dynamic forward with big impact capabilities.
“David is small but he’s powerful and he has a nose for the net. He’s exceptionally fast,” Rohla said. “He’s like [former Spartans striker] Nathan Pogue only shrunk down a little bit. I don’t think he knows how good he can be. He’s got a tremendous engine on him. He can work all day. He’s very coachable. I think he’s going to be our rough diamond that people don’t know about or maybe bypassed and I think he’s going to catch a few teams by surprise.”
Through just a few weeks of training, Malamura has already shown he’s the type of player who will be part of the Spartans offensive plans for years to come.
“The people that recommend that I attend TWU, had nothing but good things to say about the institution,” said Malamura, who plans to study human kinetics. “This place just seemed like a really good place to go.”
Andrew Dobbie
The 6-foot-2 centre back will provide stability in the Spartans defensive third as the local product joins Trinity Western with plenty of upper echelon experience. 
“Dobbie is a solid Langley player,” Rohla said. “He’s a steady no-nonsense type of player. He’ll add a lot of depth this year but will also push for a spot on the game day roster while providing a lot of value for years to come. He’s sort of an unsung type of player but from what I saw in the Super-20 league, he can play at this level and I think he can add to our university program in a big way.”
Dobbie played last year with Langley Athletic FC, under coach Rohla, in the Super-20 League’s Northwest Division. Since he was 13 years old, Dobbie has been involved in Super-Y soccer since and, most notably, while playing with the Abbotsford U16 Super-Y team, he helped his team qualify for the North American finals in Florida.
“I grew up being coached by Pat Rohla and I wanted to play for him in university,” said Dobbie, who graduated from Langley Fundamental Secondary and plans to study business. “I live close by and a bunch of my friends are planning on attending TWU so it worked out perfectly.”
Andy Phillips
Phillips, a 5-foot-10 graduate of Agassiz Secondary, arrives at Trinity Western after a successful season with the Abbotsford Mariners U18 squad in which he helped lead the team to a provincial championship. 
The left-footed midfielder also has experience with the U16 B.C. provincial side and will give the Spartans added depth in the middle of the park.
“Andy very athletic and very quick,” Rohla said. “He can serve a great ball in from the left side which many teams don’t have natural left-footers. When he’s on his game he’s a game changer. Being a first-year he’s still a bit young but as he gets more comfortable in our system and how we play I think he’s going to make an impact.”
The Spartans men’s soccer team completes its preseason schedule this weekend when they play on the road against Warner Pacific Saturday at 1:00 p.m. at David Douglas High School and against Portland’s Concordia Sunday at 6:00 p.m.
Trinity Western kicks off the 2011 Canada West campaign Sept. 9 when they host Fraser Valley at 7:00 p.m.
-TW-
Last Updated: 2011-08-26
Email: Mark.Janzen@twu.ca