By Josh Martin, Sports Editor
This week the menâs soccer National Championships are taking place on Cunnings Field in Town Centre Park, Coquitlamâhosted by your very own Douglas College Royals. The Royals are coming into the championships after capturing the PACWEST Provincial Championships Gold two weeks ago against the VIU Marinersâwhich will serve as a big confidence booster heading into Wednesday afternoonâs action
âIt’s big from a seeding point of view for Nationals. We wanted to come in as the third seed rather than the seventh. We also wanted to show we deserved to be in the CCAA Nationals and not just be there on merit of hosting the tournament,â says team captain Dylan Myers.
âHosting is huge, based on the fact that weâre in control of a lot of what we do. Sleep in our own beds, eat our own food, and play at our home field. Also, weâre looking at having our biggest fan base in college history, so obviously that will fuel us for the game.
âTo be honest, weâre trying to keep things as regular as possible. Although it’s a big tournament, weâre treating it like any other game.â
The Royals will face their first test of the tournament on Wednesday afternoon against the NAIT Ooks at 3 p.m. on Cunnings Field.
The menâs volleyball squad beat the VIU Mariners in back-to-back games this past weekend, 3â0 on Friday, and 3â2 on Saturday. The Royals are absolutely dominating the standings with an unbeaten record of 8â0 and 16 pointsâdouble the points of the second placed Capilano Blues. They play this Friday at 8 p.m. and Saturday at 3 p.m. in Victoria against the Camosun Chargers.
The womenâs volleyball team lost in their back-to-back games against the Mariners at 3â0 apiece, this past weekend. They are sixth in the standings with a 2â6 record and 4 points. They face the Chargers on Friday at 6 p.m. and on Saturday at 1 p.m.
The menâs basketball team started their season off with a revamped team that has some big holes to fill as they recently lost their two leading scorers from last year; Ravi Athwal and Harmeet Mahal who both offered a combined 38-point average. The new team features only three returning athletes and eight local high school players. The Royals will have a lot of work to do this season as they lost their first game of the year, this past Friday, 93â61 against the Langara Falcons. This Friday they will face off against the VIU Mariners in New Westminster campus at 8 p.m. The Royals will also face the Camosun Chargers on Saturday at 3 p.m. at Douglas.
The womenâs basketball team is coming into their second year under Head Coach Curtis Nelson, and will look to improve after a year of finishing in eighth place and not qualifying for the playoffs. The young team will look to veterans Ainsleigh Mensah, Patti Olsen, and Amonda Francis for leadership and guidance. The Royals lost their first game of the season 60â46 against the Langara Falcons last Friday. They host the Mariners this Friday at 6 p.m. and the Chargers on Saturday at 1 p.m.
