EDMONTON – The new-look University of Saskatchewan Huskies men's soccer team will see their first Canada West action of 2019 this coming weekend when they host the MacEwan Griffins and Alberta Golden Bears.
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FULL TEAM PREVIEWS
As always it will be a mixture of youth and experience that will be key for the Huskies, and this team is well on their way to gelling together. Not only have they spent the last
three weeks in training camp, but a number of these players also featured together throughout the summer for the S
K Selects in the SK Summer Soccer Series.
"It's been a long three weeks in the sense that guys are ready to get into conference play, they're excited about Friday night and this coming weekend," said Huskie head coach
Bryce Chapman. "They are ready to go up against someone other than themselves or the alumni group."
That training camp was key for the team, with 16 of the 27 players on the roster in just their first or second year of eligibility.
"Overall I'm very pleased with training camp, we as coaches took a different approach because we are such a young group, it was about coaching these guys up and making sure they're as ready as we can get them for Friday," said Chapman.
Eleven new faces join a team that was the
slimmest of margins away from making the Canada West Final Four last season and also returns a vast majority of the key players that led the Huskies to a second place finish in the Prairie division one year ago.
Eight of 11 goal-scorers return and the squad also features players that made 94 of a possible 154 starts in 2018.
Jacob Powell,
Tobias Hyrich-Krueger,
Gabriel Buatois,
Zach Edwards,
Nikolas Baikas,
Marcello Gonzalez,
Mason Ogoke,
Mohamed Omar and
Kwame Opoku-Addai all return after seeing action in more than 11 of the 14 games last year, making up part of a deep core of experience that means no one player will be solely counted on, something Chapman noted after a recent victory over the Saskatoon Revolution in an exhibition game.
"
Jacob Powell brings a lot of flexibility so if we are playing against an opponent that we really have to manage Jacob can be moved around. I thought
Marcello Gonzalez was exceptional tonight,
Nikolas Baikas was good again,
Ekior-Dourde Mieyefa is growing into himself and then
Dorion Zambuchini really grew into that match, so the nice thing about this group is that we don't have to rely on just one person and that's been our message throughout camp."
Taking on the Griffins on Friday, Aug. 23 at 7 p.m. inside Griffiths Stadium, Saskatchewan will start their season against a squad that went 3-9-2 last season.
After that match the Huskies will then prepare for one of the oldest rivalries in university sport when they take on the Alberta Golden Bears on Sunday, Aug. 25 at 2 p.m., in a match will see the Bateman Cup up for grabs.
An annual contest between the Huskies and Bears, the Bateman Cup recognizes the first varsity sports competition between the two schools in 1911 and honours Reginald Bateman, the first English professor at the University of Saskatchewan, and all of those who have lost their lives defending our country.
"This is what you're waiting for 11 months of the year, you want to get back home and play in front of family and friends in a very competitive Canada West league," said Chapman.
MSOC TICKETS
New this year every Huskie men's soccer game will be played inside the confines of Griffiths Stadium,
season tickets are available here with single
game passes now on sale here. The 2019 Huskie men's soccer season is proudly presented by Orano.
2019 CW MSOC PRESEASON COACHES POLL
Team - Points (First-place votes)
- UBC Thunderbirds - 144 (12)
- Alberta Golden Bears - 126
- Trinity Western Spartans - 124 (1)
- Thompson Rivers WolfPack - 100
- Saskatchewan Huskies - 96
- Calgary Dinos - 80
- Fraser Valley Cascades - 77
- Victoria Vikes - 64
- Mount Royal Cougars - 57
- UNBC Timberwolves - 56
- UBCO Heat - 43
- MacEwan Griffins - 32
- Lethbridge Pronghorns - 15
NOTE: Coaches ranked all opponents 1-12. First-place votes worth 12 pts., second-place worth 11 pts. etc.
Saskatchewan Huskies season preview
2018 CW regular season record: 6-6-2, 2nd in Prairie Division
2018 CW post-season record: 0-1, Lost to UFV in CW QF
Head coach: Bryce Chapman (16th season) / 80-89-37 (CW career regular season record)
Last CW championship / total CW championships: 2014 / 1
Last U SPORTS championship / total U SPORTS championships: None
2018 CW regular season ranks:
- Offence: 22 goals for, 7th in CW
- Defence: 23 goals against, 7th in CW
2018 CW regular season leaders:
Key additions (name / position / eligibility / hometown / last team):
- Fraser McLeod / M / 1 / Saskatoon, SK / Saskatchewan Whitecaps Academy?
- Kuhle Bekwayo / M / 1 / Saskatoon, SK / Saskatchewan Whitecaps Academy?
- Ajani Fountaine / F / 1 / Saskatoon, SK / Walter Murray Collegiate
Key losses (name / position / hometown / years with program):
Key performer:
Jacob Powell, a 2017 Canada West First Team All-Star and 2016 Second Team All-Star, is entering his fifth and final year with the Huskies. Powell has been a consistent presence on the field for the past four seasons, starting 57 of the 59 games in his tenure with the program. Powell, who starred for the SK Selects during the summer, will be looked to help guide the club to their third consecutive postseason appearance, whether that is as a defensive midfielder or a more attacking presence, the versatile veteran can do it all.
