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- Feb 23, 2015
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Home Opener. Exciting action this Saturday at 2 PM on the Nonis Turf as the UBC Okanagan men's soccer team start their confernce schedule versus the UFV Cascades. Sunday they host TWU @ 2 PM.
Game Times
SATURDAY, SEP. 12th:
2 PM (PST) | Fraser Valley (0-0-0) at UBC Okanagan (0-0-0)
TICKETS | LIVE STATS | LIVE WEBCAST | @ Nonis Sports Field, UBC Okanagan
SUNDAY, SEP. 13th:
2 PM (PST) | Trinity Western (0-0-0) at UBC Okanagan (0-0-0)
TICKETS | LIVE STATS | LIVE WEBCAST | @ Nonis Sports Field, UBC Okanagan
KELOWNA, B.C - After a successful year one in Canada West that sent the UBC Okanagan men's soccer team to the post season continued in year two. The Heat are (40-41) undefeated in their preseason work and now are set to defend their home turf for their conference opener this weekend. On Saturday the Fraser Valley Cascades open the season against UBC Okanagan on the Nonis Sports Field with the action to begin at 2 p.m. Sunday the Heat will host a young Trinity Western Spartan squad from Langley, BC. Once again the action on the turf starts at 2 p.m.
In 2014-15 the Heat finished with a (5-5-2) regular season record and lost a match against UBC in the Quarter-final.
Number of new players: 9 - Key Recruits: Daimon Gill (5-10, D, Abbotsford-Abbotsford Traditional); Riley Gallant (Surrey-Fraser Heights); Jeevin Kang (D, Surrey-Burnaby Central); Kieran Large(M, Victoria- St. Michael's); Kyle Sears (D/M, Sherwood Park-Bev Facey); Hamish Walde (D, Salt Spring Island-Gulf Islands); Luke Warkentin (Vancouver-Semiahmoo).
Number of departing players: 7 - Key Losses: (Austin Jones, Forward, 4), (Nick Kmet, Defender, 4), (Dylan Abbott, Defender, 4), (Joe Gill, Defender, 4).
Key performer: Enzo Paal, a third-year forward led the team with four goals last season, and netted five markers in the first four preseason games.
Coach Quote: "Our goal this year is to qualify for the play offs and improve on last year's loss in the first round, with the extremely competitive Pacific division this will not be easy and with a bit of luck we can hopefully achieve our goals." – Head coach Dante Zanatta
Key storyline: After failing to earn a playoff in its last two years in the PACWEST, UBC Okanagan made a run to the postseason in its inaugural season in the Canada West. The team was led by a strong core of players that had been with head coach Dante Zanatta since he took over the program at UBC Okanagan in 2011. Dylan Abbott, Joe Gill, and Austin Jones have all graduated and leave a lot of minutes and leadership for Dante to fill.
Fraser Valley The Cascades, like the Heat advanced and lost in the Canada West Quarter-finals, they finished the year with a CW regular season record of (6-5-1). For preseason the Cascades played to a (1-1-3) record with a draw against SFU included in that set of five games.UFV Canada West Preview
Head to Head (UFV): Last year UBC Okanagan took both against the Cascades. (UBCO won 2-1 in Kelowna), (UBCO won 1-0 in Abbotsford.)
Number of new players: 8 - Key Recruits: Dylan McCrindle (MF/Coquitlam, BC/Heritage Woods Secondary), Brady Weir (MF/Pitt Meadows, BC/Pitt Meadows Secondary), Amir Basra (D/Surrey, BC/North Surrey Secondary)
Number of departing players: 5 - Key Losses: Mark Village (GK/5), Ryan Liddiard (D/5), Trevor O'Neill (D/5)
Key performer: Colton O'Neill. The fifth-year right back from Abbotsford, B.C. is coming off a fantastic 2014 campaign. He led the Cascades with five goals and three assists, and earned Canada West first team all-star honours.
Coach Quote: "It's a real solid group. They've grown a lot together over the preseason, it's been interesting to see. As far as ability and how far we could go, I think the sky is the limit. If they start strong and get on a roll, I honestly believe they can accomplish things we haven't before." – Cascades head coach Tom Lowndes
Key storyline: Alan Errington retired in the off-season after spending 11 years at the helm of the Cascades, and his former assistant Tom Lowndes takes over the head-coaching reins. The Cascades are seeking to improve on last season's third-place finish in the Pacific Division, followed by a loss in the conference quarter-finals to the Victoria Vikes. Lowndes has a talented, experienced group at his disposal, highlighted by an outstanding backline featuring Colton O'Neill, a Canada West first team all-star last season, and Tammer Byrne, UFV's 2014 male rookie of the year across all sports. Fourth-year players Connor MacMillan and Justin Sekhon will be among the leaders in a deep midfield corps. Sophomore goalkeeper Alex Skrzeta takes over the starting job following the graduation of former conference all-star and current Vancouver Whitecaps FC2 player Mark Village.
Trinity Western The Spartans are (1-2-1) in their preseason in 2015, but in their one win they scored nine goals against the Concordia University Eagles; in 2014-15 during the regular season in Canada West TWU finished outside of the post season with a record of (3-6-3).Head to Head (TWU): Last year both home teams held serve to a score of (2-1).
TWU Canada West Preview
Number of New Players: 10 - Key Recruits: Vaggeli Boucas (D/Langley, BC/DW Poppy SS), Dominic Poletto (M/Calgary/Notre Dame HS)
Number of departing players: 12 - Key Losses: Evan Lowther (GK/5), Jordan Whitehead (D/5), Mitchell Rohla (M/5), Cam Parkes M/3), Dominic Reinold (F/2)
Key performer: Brayden Gant. As the team captain and one of just two fifth-year players on the Spartans roster, Gant will be in charge of the team's heavy lifting both on and off the field. The four-time Canada West all-star will once again solidify the Spartans midfield and is unquestionably the leader of this team.
Coach Quote: "I think from top to bottom, we're stronger than we have been in quite some time," said Spartans coach Pat Rohla. "I think, with this year's team, you'll see more of an attacking prowess and while we may not have the experience that we had last year, I think what we do have is a cohesive unit that is already coming together well as a group." – TWU head coach Pat Rohla
"We're going to have to be patient with young players and continue to build and bring them along. But they're a hard-working and honest group that really wants something. I think if we can get on the same page and stay on the same page in moments of crisis, this team has great potential."
Key storyline: After missing the playoffs in each of the last two years, this year's team is aiming to make a return to the post-season for the first time since 2012. With 10 new players in the lineup and as many as 12 players from last year's roster no longer with the team, the Spartans will take a young squad into the 2015 campaign. While the likes of midfielder Brayden Gant and striker Jarvis Ambaka will provide a veteran presence, much of the Spartans success will be determined by the youngsters' ability to adapt and flourish as newly-minted starters at the Canada West level. While there is plenty of talent on this team and there is certainly a refreshed hunger amongst the group, the question is: Will the Spartans be able put it all together in time to consistently find a winning formula?
Manny Straith will once again captain the Heat men's soccer team. The Victoria native is looked upon for his leadership on the pitch from his midfielder position.
Rookie defender Jeevin Kang, a member of the Whitecaps residency program, has seen a lot of playing time in the preseason.
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