As another school year rolls around, stress levels and anxiety start to rise as the time for chilling with friends and staying up late is coming to an end. This upcoming school year will be the University of the Fraser Valley’s 48th year as a university and the women’s and men’s soccer teams have revamped their rosters with many new players. Both teams have already kicked their seasons off in dramatic fashion. The Cascade had the opportunity to chat with players Alanna Sydenham and Jeevan Dhaliwal about both teams’ mindsets and the upcoming season.
The women’s team had their home opener on August 26 at Rotary stadium and faced an experienced UBC squad. Unfortunately for the Cascades, the Thunderbirds were able to find the back of the net eight times without a goal by the Cascades. The Cascades came back fighting during their next game against the University of Victoria Vikes! As soon as the whistle blew, UFV looked like a much better team than the night before. The communication from the team was much stronger and before long, the Cascades were able to create a fantastic opportunity for a goal. After 90 minutes, the game ultimately ended in a draw, 0-0, but the performance from the Cascades showed promise of a team with great potential.
Sydenham, a fourth year defender for the Cascades noted, “it’s a different mindset this year for sure. We have a lot of new young talent. We’re just trying to really get going from the start to try and figure things out early. Everyone’s really excited we have the same mindset, we are all super committed this year and want the same thing.”
The men’s team also started their season off a little shaky, after playing a great first half against Thompson Rivers University in the Cascades home opener, the Cascades’ defence lost focus and let a goal in right before the half-time whistle. The Wolfpack was able to hold onto the lead for the rest of regulation, giving the team their first loss of the season. Luckily, the boys were motivated after the loss and came back to prove themselves at Rotary Stadium, playing a great game that resulted in a win, 2-0. Goals from Mikael Mainella and Manpal Brar gave the Cascades their first win of the season.
This season both of the soccer teams are welcoming many new faces to the field. Dhaliwal commented on how the first years on the men’s team are fitting in. “They’re super nice guys, we’ve all grown super close, even over the short period of time we’ve had together. It’s the type of relationship where you can just call the guy up after practice and say, ‘hey, I thought you did this really well. But I think you could have done this even better.’ Giving little tips on the field during practice. [Veteran players] all know that first year players need to break the ice not just with us, but also on the field. That can be hard, but we’re always there to give tips and answer any questions they have.”
Both of UFV’s soccer teams proved how resilient they are and that after a tough loss they were able to come back and conquer the next challenge.
Esher is a second year law & communications student who is invested in sports. When he isn't filming and writing about basketball, he can often be found washing cars or cutting the grass. Esher hopes to one day enter the field of law enforcement and start his own media group.
