Jordan Hall is bombarded by shots every weekend.
The 18-year-old goal keeper for the women’s UNBC Timberwolves’ soccer team leads the Canada West Conference of the CIS in saves (63) and goals against (30) as she and her teammates try to find their footing in their first season against the top collegiate players in the country.
For the ultra-competitive Hall, fishing balls out of her net isn’t fun but the sophomore keeper knows it’s something she, and the T-wolves, have to endure on their new playing field.
“It’s hard but you kind of have to keep your head up,” said Hall. “Obviously I take all the blame for things because I want to keep the ball out of my net but it’s a team game.
“I just want to do the best I can for my team and not regret anything,” she added. “It’s a good growing thing, I think it makes you a better player.”
The graduate of College Heights secondary school was willing to take the blame after Saturday’s 3-1 loss to the Saskatchewan Huskies (3-1-0) after being slow to react to a T-wolves’ corner kick.
“It was curving in and it kind of went off, not the crossbar, but my back defender just slid her leg and it was already curving,” said Hall. “I should’ve been farther back, it was pretty flukey.”
The goal came in the 66th minute and tied the game at 1-1. For the first time in about a year, dating back to last fall when the T-wolves were a part of the PACWEST conference, the UNBC women had scored a goal.
In the 16th minute rookie Sidney Roy broke the T-wolves scoreless drought after Sydney Wilson slipped the ball across the field and she made no mistake in giving the home side a 1-0 advantage.
“I got lucky with my first touch and I was able to slide it past the keeper,” said the 18-year-old graduate of Burnaby North secondary school.
The last goal in a regular-season game by a UNBC women came off the foot of Cora Kelly on a corner kick.
“I wanted to run and hug her but I can’t do that so I stayed in my net,” laughed Hall. “For the entire team it’s a huge relief and it’s a huge relief off my shoulders. I knew my team could do it - they just needed that one and there’s more to come.”
Hall credits her experience as a freshman playing in PACWEST to giving her the confidence to deal with the T-wolves’ growing pains in CIS soccer.
The UNBC goal keeper has played in all five of the T-wolves games this season completing four of them including lopsided losses of 11-0, 10-0 and 7-0. Hall also backstopped the T-wolves to their first point in CIS in a 0-0 tie with the Winnipeg Wesmen.
Against the Huskies, Hall held her team in the game and it appeared the T-wolves would escape with a another tie, until UNBC defender Georgia Lahti was dinged for a tackle inside the box and former Chilean national player Daniela Fuenzalida was awarded a penalty kick for the Huskies in the 82nd minute.
“I had her,” said Hall. “I went to that side but she was just a good shot.”
Deflated the T-wolves were unable to muster much energy after that goal and the Huskies cemented their win two minutes later to go up 3-1 with six minutes to play.
“It was just so heartbreaking as a team,” said Hall. “We were tied with them after 82 minutes of the game and the penalty shot was the one that beat us - it’s pretty hard.”
The T-wolves fell to 0-5-1 on Sunday losing 3-0 to the visiting Regina Cougars, ranked No. 8 in the CIS last week. UNBC hits the road next with games Saturday in Calgary against the Mount Royal Cougars (11 a.m. PST) and Sunday in Edmonton versus the Alberta Pandas (1 p.m. PST).
Hall said she's just going to try and stop everything shot possible until her teammates start clicking offensively to secure some wins.
"I just want to do the best I can for my team and not regret anything," said Hall. "In [Saturday's] game I didn't regret that much, except for the corner kick. When we play the harder teams I know I have to be on my toes to help my team but I trust my team in front of me and I wouldn't blame anyone for what happens."
