If ever a team was in need of a reward, it's the UNBC women's soccer club.
Since the Timberwolves joined the Canada West conference of Canadian Interuniversity Sport in September of 2012, they have posted a record of 0-16-4. Go back to 2011, UNBC's final season at the B.C. college level, and the cumulative record slides to 0-28-4.
And yes, several players have been team members for that entire stretch of time.
Talk about repeated kicks to an unprotected ankle. Ouch, over and over again.
The two most recent losses happened last weekend in Prince George when UNBC dropped 4-0 decisions to the Trinity Western University Spartans and UBC Thunderbirds. The T-wolves (0-7-1) are now at a break in their schedule and are practicing up for home games against the Manitoba Bisons and Winnipeg Wesmen, Oct. 11 and 13 respectively.
The Timberwolves really need something good to happen in those games. After all, the psyche of an athlete can only take so much abuse. At some point, it becomes damaged beyond repair. If the UNBC players -- especially the third-year ones -- aren't at that stage yet, they must be getting perilously close.
After the latest setbacks, UNBC coach Andy Cameron reminded his players about their little victories -- their improved defensive play, for example. Cameron is doing his best to keep the Timberwolves in positive frames of mind and if anybody can sell the 'keep your chin up' message, it's him. But, he could go through the entire alphabet in his post-game speeches and nothing he could say would be as powerful as a single letter -- a W.
Sometimes, only a win will cure what ails.
The good news for the Timberwolves is this: the contests against the Bisons and Wesmen will represent two legitimate chances for victory because those teams are currently 10th and 11th in the 13-team league, ahead of only the Lethbridge Pronghorns and UNBC. Manitoba sits at 1-3-3 and Winnipeg has gone 1-6 so far. Both are in the Lower Mainland this weekend for games against UBC (3-0-3) and Trinity Western (2-1-3).
Then there's the bad news: if the Timberwolves don't pick up a win in either of their games against the Bisons and Wesmen, their odds of breaking into the win column this season will drop significantly. Because, after those outings, they'll only have two games left to play and their opponents will be the Regina Cougars (currently 3-3-1) and Saskatchewan Huskies (5-0-2 to date), teams that are higher in the standings and heading for playoff appearances. Furthermore, the Cougars and Huskies will have home-field advantage when they take on the T-wolves.
When the Timberwolves stepped onto the Canada West soccer pitch, they knew they'd be in for a severe challenge but they probably didn't think they'd still be seeking their first win with almost two full seasons in the books. Weekend after weekend, however, they've discovered that effort and enthusiasm only take them so far. Relative to many of the other teams in the league, they lack depth and experience and have been hurt by those deficiencies.
Cameron -- who started cold as UNBC's coach just prior to last season's kickoff -- is always on the lookout for new recruits who can add to the depth of the team. Recruiting can also improve the experience level bit by bit, but the passage of time is the real key there. Most programs that have jumped to a new level need at least three years to be competitive, and, if everything goes perfectly, four to five years to challenge for titles.
For the T-wolves, the process may take a little longer, simply because convincing elite-calibre players to pursue post-secondary soccer careers in Prince George is no easy task. Especially when warm-weather locales like Victoria, Vancouver, Langley and Abbotsford beckon, not to mention desirable cities like Edmonton, Calgary and Saskatoon.
Success also breeds success, and that's part of the reason why schools like UBC and the University of Alberta tend to have strong teams year after year. Simply put, players want to be part of winning programs.
In the grand scheme of things, UNBC women's soccer has to get to the point where the strength of the program attracts new talent like an all-powerful magnet.
For now though, the girls in green would be happy with just one win.
They've put in the work, and a little taste of sugar is long overdue.
