Royals Soccer Preview

Taking a look at week 4 of PACWEST action

By Davie Wong, Sports Editor

Looking ahead at week 4 of the PACWEST soccer season, the Douglas College Royals have interesting challenges for them on both sides of the bracket. The women will face off against the undefeated Langara Falcons and their North Vancouver rivals, the Capilano Blues. Meanwhile, the men will be preparing for a rematch against the Capilano Blues.

Taking a look at the ladies, the Royals had an excellent performance last week. Two big wins are what the team is riding on when they face the currently ‘undefeated’ Langara Falcons. But to call them winless would also be accurate. After five games at the helm, Rae Pelat’s Langara Falcons team is 0-0-5 with five points in the standings. It’s not that the Falcons haven’t been good. They’ve lead in numerous of their games, they’ve just blown the lead. In games where they are trailing, they’ve shown gusto and heart, tying it with only moments left to go. But the bottom line is that they don’t have enough to cross the line; at least they haven’t so far. Against the Royals, it’s unlikely that’s going to change. With Mikayla Hamilton finding her form, this one should be a walk in the park for the Royals.

However, the next game they face off against the Capilano Blues. The Blues have been the sole team to defeat the Royals this season. Now Douglas has the chance to put one over on them on home soil. As mentioned before, striker Mikayla Hamilton has found her form. She’ll be an incredibly important asset to the Royals as they look to find holes in a potent Blues defense. Coming into the game against the Royals, the Blues have only given up four goals in five games.

The Royals will need to vigilant on the offense to break that trend. That shouldn’t be too hard though. Midfielder and captain Sam Kell has been the player to watch as she continues to pour on the goals. She’s been deadly from distance and from the spot. With Hamilton being such threat, it’s hard not to see Kell taking shots from the spot anytime soon.

Moving on to the men, this weekend’s games is going to be a challenge for them. The Capilano Blues are always a tough challenge. However, the last time these two met, it was the Royals coming ahead. This time it won’t be so easy. The Royals play the Blues after their clean 6-0 dismantling of the Langara Falcons. That’s a position that no team in the PACWEST envies.

However, it would seem that the men have also found their goal scoring feet. Last time out, the Royals potted three against the VIU Mariners, which is no easy task. If they bring that same ferocity with them when they face the Capilano Blues, fans should be in for a treat.