 UFV golf and soccer have begun productive seasons despite the spread of COVID-19
UFV soccer has started playing in 2020, though they are not playing for their conference. The men’s team has joined the Fraser Valley Soccer League (FVSL), and the women’s team has decided to form a four-team group with the TWU Spartans, the UBC Thunderbirds, and the Whitecaps FC Girls Elite team.
The men’s team started playing for the FVSL and won with big scores, as they defeated Abby United 5-1 and then defeated Chilliwack FC 4-2. Abby United defeated the Cascades in their rematch 1-2, but overall the Cascades have started strong. Their schedule suggests that the team should continue to play in 2021; however, this is subject to changes due to the spread of COVID-19.
The women’s team salvaged their season this year by playing in their newly founded group; however, they have yet to win a game so far. This is likely due to very tough competition, as they played two conference powerhouses in TWU and UBC, losing those games by scores of 0-3 and 1-5, respectively.
The Cascades started this fall completely stuck. Though they could practise together, they could not play. The decision Canada West and U Sports came to was to wait considerably longer to compete, meaning that second-term sports likely won’t play for at least one calendar year. However, the players and the programs wanted to compete, with two programs finding new opportunities to play.
The year should provide players with valuable playing time that they will try to parlay into success during their next playable season.
The Cascades golf team continues to impress, as both the men’s and women’s players are competing in the B.C. Rivalry Series. The men have won the team event three times, while the women have won it once so far in six events out of a potential total of eight.
The men’s team saw some Cascades records broken last week, as Jackson Jacob shot a staggering 10 under 62 at Northview Golf and Country Club. That is now the record for a Cascades player, beating Connor O’Dell’s 63 in 2013 at the UFV Invitational, hosted at the Chilliwack Golf Club.
That same day, Cascades women’s team rookie Alex Brunner shot the best round of her career so far. Shooting three over 75, she placed second overall for that event. The next day, fellow Cascades rookie player Lucy Park also shot her best round yet, shooting four over 76 while also helping the Cascades women’s team win their first event, tying with UBC.
The men’s team leads the aggregate standings for the B.C. Rivalry Series, while the women’s team is in third place currently.
Jackson Jacob. October 23 2020. (Dan Kinvig/UFV Athletics)
