Bothelho sticking close to home with T-wolves

His last name might be familiar to UNBC soccer fans, but Matthew Botelho is ready to forge his own path in T-wolves colours now that he’s committed to the men’s soccer team for the 2021 Canada West season and beyond. 

“It’s a great feeling, honestly, because I have been working toward this for years now,” said Botelho. “I finally achieved what I wanted to achieve. I am on this team, and I am proud to say I am a Timberwolf.” 

The younger brother of long-time Timberwolf Johnathan Botelho, Matthew grew up attending UNBC varsity games. A gritty defender who projects as a fullback at the U SPORTS level, Botelho is excited to make the jump from the youth tier to the highest level of university soccer in the country. 

“I have been watching the team for a couple years,” he said. “Obviously, when my brother was on the team. He was telling me I would have to play, so we could say we played for the same team. He would come home and tell me how much he loved training. He said I’d make friends for life here, and I have to do it. So, I had to do it. I had to work hard to become a Timberwolf, and here I am.” 

Growing up in the Prince George Youth Soccer Association, Botelho also trained with the Timberwolves Academy under UNBC assistant coach Francesco Bartolillo. The 18-year-old identified UNBC as a potential landing spot and poured his energy into taking that step in the community that shaped him. 

“To be a rostered member of the Timberwolves it is awesome. To play at the highest level in Canada, it is a real achievement. It is a once in a lifetime opportunity and it’s something I will never forget. In my five or six years here, I will love every minute of it.” 

UNBC coach Steve Simonson worked with Johnathan for five seasons, and knew of Matthew when he was a young teenager. His newest recruit made it clear to him that he aspired to be a Timberwolf and Simonson says Matthew’s growth should inspire young players in northern B.C. 

“It’s great to have a young local prospect like Mathew join us this fall,” Simonson said. “He has been impressive as a young developmental player and has shown all the characteristics needed to join our program. Matt is an intelligent player and he truly epitomizes the character we are looking for in an incoming player. We are excited to see his transition into university soccer.” 

Botelho oozes compete level on the pitch, never giving up on a battle. A member of the PGYSA U18 team that earned provincial bronze, as well as the captain of the College Heights Secondary School team, he offered a scouting report of what Timberwolves fans can expect from him over the next five years. 

“When someone has the ball, I do everything I can to win it, at all costs,” he said. “If the player goes by me, the ball doesn’t, and if the ball goes by me, the player doesn’t. I will always try to win that ball.” 

A 2021 graduate of CHSS and winner of the school’s top business student award, Botelho will study commerce at UNBC with aspirations to own a business in the athletics industry. The Timberwolves open the Canada West season in September, and the newest T-wolf is excited to continue a journey that started when he was four years old. 

“I played with a bunch of the guys here and in the academy over the past couple years,” he said. “They told me I deserve this. It is going to be really nice because I am going to play for them, I am going to play for my family, I am going to play for my brother, and I am going to play for myself and my own passion.”

In other T-wolves recruiting news, the men’s team has signed German defender Maarten Grombein for the 2021 season. A native of Buch, part of Berlin, Grombein was put in contact with Simonson by agency Scholarbook. In a regular recruiting season, university coaches are able to recruit domestic prospects in person, while any potential international recruits are scouted through video. Due to COVID, all scouting was done via video reels, and Grombein’s abilities stood out. 

“We are very excited to have Maarten join us here. He is a quality young footballer with good experiences over in Germany,” said Simonson. “He is a versatile player who can play in the back or in midfield and his has slotted in perfectly to our squad. On a personal level, he is a great fit for our program and what we are building.  Once Maarten adjusts to the U SPORTS game, I think he will be a great player for us.” 

The 19-year-old, who has a decorated youth and club career in Germany, said the conversations with Simonson during the recruiting period convinced him the Timberwolves’ program was the right place for him. A six-foot-three athlete with impressive ball skills and poise, Grombein arrived for training camp this month and has impressed the T-wolves players and coaches with his ability to slow the game down and make smart decisions in distribution. 

“I am a pretty physical player. I like to play football, not kick and rush,” he said. “I am calm, so I try to figure out every situation, try to find the next person, and try to play good football. Pretty football.” 

Grombein is a product of TSV Emmelshausen, under coaches Thjis Schuttler, Bernd Kasper, Julian Feit, and Philipp Frank, and was able to develop his ball skills and decision making while growing into a frame that allows him to make an impact all over the pitch. Through training camp and preseason, he has identified the similarities and differences in the Canadian game, and the sport he has played since he was four. 

“German football is more technical,” he said. “We concentrate on playing football, but here it is more physical. We have to run more and it is more intense than in Germany. I do what I love. Every time I go on the pitch, I have fun.” 

Grombein will study international business at UNBC.

The UNBC women’s team has added a dose of skill and aggressiveness to the roster with the transfer of Sidney Elliott from the University of the Fraser Valley Cascades.  

A striker who plays with speed and a nose for the ball, Elliott grew up in Powell River alongside current T-wolf Camryn Cline. She spent the 2020-21 year training with the Cascades, despite losing the season due to COVID. An opportunity to make the move to Prince George became available and she jumped at the chance to continue her growth on the pitch while playing at the highest level of university sport in Canada. 

“I feel like I am a very aggressive player,” Elliott said. “I can move fast and make good touches. I am quick up front, and that’s why I like playing up front. I can get through and get behind defenders. I am hoping I can play in a game this year. That would be nice.

“I knew Neil (T-wolves head coach Sedgwick) before; he had come to Powell River and I really liked his coaching style. I feel like I am a really coachable person, and I feel like I understand his concepts and what he is trying to say. This is really exciting. I have never been to Prince George before, so this is all new for me.” 

Elliott’s soccer journey started when she was just five and progressed through the Vancouver Island Riptide program. At five-foot-six, she isn’t the biggest athlete on the pitch, but her aggressive, relentless style of play has served her well. As a former competitive sprinter, she hopes her speed and hunger for contact will serve her well when she dons UNBC green and gold. 

“When I was little, I had so much motivation to get the ball into the net,” she said. “I would push girls out of the way, I would charge at them. I was pretty aggressive. I just loved it, ever since I started playing.” 

Sedgwick has known Elliott for a number of years, having scouted her as a youth player on Vancouver Island. When she expressed interest in joining the Timberwolves, he was excited to add a recruit who was so hungry to grow as a player.

“We are really thrilled to add Sidney to our program,” said Sedgwick. “She comes from a strong Upper Island Storm program, where she played alongside Camryn. They certainly have a great understanding of each other, and Sidney has taken that and really fit in well with all of our players. I believe she will continue to take big strides and grow substantially within the Timberwolves program. We are glad to have her at UNBC.” 

The Brooks Secondary School graduate will study Environmental Planning at UNBC, with aspirations to work at a municipal level developing sustainable city operations.

“It is obviously a big transition from last year, having practice cancelled due to COVID and having practically no contact at all,” Elliott said. “It has been really nice to get back into it and have an environment where we can improve and still have that contact. I feel like I am part of a team again.”