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Good start for UNBC soccer teams |
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Written by JASON PETERS, Citizen staff
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Monday, 25 August 2008 |
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DUCHESS PARKCOLLEGES ATHLETIC ASSOCIATIONUNBC NORTHERN TIMBERWOLVESTHOMPSON RIVERS UNIVERSITYUBC OKANAGANGRANDE PRAIRIE
In 2008, victories may be a more regular part of their diets.
The UNBC men and UNBC women were in Kamloops on the weekend, taking their kicks in a preseason tournament hosted by Thompson Rivers University. Each club played three games, and each came away with one victory.
The male Timberwolves started off with a 1-0 loss to TRU on Saturday morning, beat Kelowna’s UBC Okanagan 3-0 later Saturday and fell 1-0 to Quest University of Squamish on Sunday morning.
The female T-wolves were edged 2-1 by TRU, drew 1-1 with UBC-O and defeated Quest 3-2.
During the 2007 BCCAA schedule, the UNBC men finished with a 1-13 record and the UNBC women were slightly better at 1-12-1.
Both coaches -- Sonny Pawar for the men and Mato Mikic for the women -- were encouraged by the weekend results.
“The guys have come into the beginning of the season way ahead of where we were last year as far as fitness and commitment level and it showed on the field this weekend,” Pawar said.
Mikic was equally pleased.
“With four starters missing from last year, we did really good,” he said.
In men’s action, UNBC’s 1-0 loss to Thompson Rivers was a significant accomplishment because TRU is the defending BCCAA champion.
“We had an excellent game against TRU,” Pawar said. “They’ve got 13 players returning and I felt we had the majority of the game. We had a goal disallowed because of a dubious offside call. We hit the post too, and they had one opportunity that they buried and that was the difference.”
In the 3-0 win against UBC Okanagan, UNBC players Joe Lavoie, Chris Russel and Arnold Ngabo took care of the scoring. In the 1-0 loss to Quest -- which is playing an exhibition schedule this season in hopes of gaining full league membership next season -- Pawar tested out some of his less-experienced players.
“(The result) wasn’t really indicative of the team’s quality,” he said.
Key UNBC players during the games included central defender Scott DeBianchi, last year’s team MVP, and new recruit Matt Mehrassa, a midfielder. Returning midfielder Sandro Deviato and first-year midfielder Tyson Williams of Smithers also made positive impacts.
Pawar was particularly impressed with Mehrassa, a former Prince George resident who now lives in Nanaimo.
“He was just outstanding,” Pawar said. “He was all over the field. This guy is a real difference-maker in games. He can really set the tempo and the tone of a game all on his own. He’s an excellent player. Sandro was terrific, and Tyson Williams fit in extremely well at this level. He’s a highly-skilled player.”
Goalkeeper Kyle Flannagan, another important off-season recruit for UNBC, also came up large for the Timberwolves. Flannagan, a Prince George product, spent last season as the starting stopper for the Grande Prairie Regional College Wolves.
The UNBC women put together their impressive weekend despite the fact 2007 starters Jodi Godwin, Laura Gaster, Lindsey Brain and Shannon McClary were all unable to make the trip.
In the 2-1 loss to TRU, the T-wolves had just 14 or 15 players in uniform, compared to 27 for TRU. Amanda Harris scored the UNBC goal.
In the 1-1 deadlock with UBC Okanagan, Julie Martin produced the UNBC marker. Martin also scored twice in the 3-2 win against Quest, while Andrea Bertulli found the mark on a free kick.
Martin, a Duchess Park graduate who spent two years in the Grande Prairie program, looks like she’ll be an offensive force for the T-wolves. Playing consistent soccer will be her challenge.
“She’s a streaky player,” Mikic said. “When she’s on, she’s technically a really talented player. But then she tends to shy away occasionally. Hopefully we can get this consistency. She’s older and has a little bit of experience under her belt, playing for Grande Prairie for two years. I expect her to be a force in that offensive area.”
The UNBC teams will start the BCCAA regular season on home turf. They will host UBC Okanagan and Kwantlen University College of Surrey on Sept. 6 and 7 respectively. Games will be played at the North Cariboo Senior Soccer League fields and at Michelle Lamarche fields.
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Last Updated ( Monday, 25 August 2008 )
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