The future is exciting
By Davie Wong, Sports Editor
It’s hard to believe that it’s nearly been a year since the Royal’s women soccer team made history by winning the Provincial Championship and going to Nationals. A lot has changed since then, with players leaving, and new players joining. With the soccer season drawing ever closer, teams are finishing up their recruitmenting and moving into their training sessions. This season was particularly hectic due to a few circumstances.
The first item on the list to address is the players leaving. Star strikers Marni McMillan and Danae Harding have announced their departure from the team. Key midfielder Nicolle Fraser finished her fifth and final year of eligibility and will be moving on as well. In the back, the core of Kelsey Acaster, Carli Tingstad, and Courtney Sine, along with goalkeeper Rebecca Mainardi have departed from the team.
While the departure of a few of those players had been expected, the defensive exodus has left the Royals roster with a big hole. Mikayla Hamilton is expected to fill in where Danae Harding left off, and Sam Kell and Andrea Perrota make excellent replacements in the midfield. However, the backline situation is still a question. Michelle Wessa and Sarah Strelau have proven capable defenders, but their position lacks depth. In terms of goaltenders, the team has none left. Fortunately, the recruitment class reflects just what the team needs.
In the offseason, head coach Chris Laxton has signed on a plethora of players to help his fill replenish his roster. The majority of the newcomers are defenders and goalkeepers and the team also signed a single forward. Laxton spoke to the expectations of some of the players for the first season: “There are three or four of the recruits that are coming in as redshirts. The rest will be on the initial 25. We expect several of them to be moving from the full 18 to the starting 11 pretty quick.”
Laxton also explained the defensively focused recruitment season as a necessary move for the team. “We’ve balanced the team with the recruits this year. Defender was an area that we targeted. Between Courtney, Carli, and Kelsey, those were the three centrebacks. That’s a position that we’ve had a lot of success with, and that’s a position we want to strengthen this year and maintain our defensive record.”
With regard to signing three goalkeepers, Laxton believes it is a necessary move to ensure the depth and future of the squad. It is a lesson he has learned through experience. “The last couple of years we’ve got into injuries, and some personal decision that have left us sort of stranded. I want to make sure that we’re covered not only this year but we’re covered for several years to come. The goalkeeper position is an open position. We like it that way. It’ll bring healthy competition. We’ll see how things go as they’ll get their opportunities in preseason, and we’ll see who’s deserving of first team, backup, and third-string”.
The third of the goaltenders is a two-year veteran of the PACWEST. Chantalle Bracken is a goalkeeper from the former Kwantlen Eagles. She, alongside teammate Taylor Wettig, will be joining the Royals, as Kwantlen has shut down their athletic program. “The acquisition of Taylor and Chantalle from the Kwantlen Eagles gave us an opportunity to acquire more veteran PACWEST experienced players in our group as we transition to the new era. Taylor is already showing signs of her ability to make an impact on our group. Chantelle bring experience to a very young and new goalkeeper group. We hope she pushes for a starter position, but at the very least, she’ll be able to help the other goalkeepers prepare for PACWEST level of competition,” commented Laxton.
When asked if his team could recapture their golden provincial finish, Chris exuded confidence in his reply, with a hint of caution. “Absolutely, there’s a chance for us to recapture the championships. Fortune swings in the playoffs, and the top two teams go to Nationals this year. That doesn’t mean that we’re targeting fourth, and that doesn’t mean that we’re targeting the second place berth to Nationals. With the recruits we have coming in and the players that we have left, I think we can still do well. But it’s going to take an effort, and going to take some time.”.
With the Eagles shutting down their athletics program, there are fewer teams for PACWEST teams to play. This means that there are now only 12 regular season games. That’s even less room for mistakes than before. One loss means so much more now. But on the bright side, a single win means all the more as well.
