By Troy Langstaff
A two-loss season that turned into an Atlantic University Sport (AUS) quarter-final loss in 2019 has left some of the now veterans on the 2021 squad begging to get back on the pitch to fulfill the dream that has eluded the program since 2008. An AUS championship is always hard to come by, especially with teams like Cape Breton and the University of New Brunswick (UNB) safeguarding the route. Dalhousie’s men’s soccer team gives themselves a chance to win year in and year out and this season should be no exception.
As the seasons come and go, so do players and coaches. Heading into this campaign the Tigers will be without two-time AUS first team all-stars Freddy Bekkers and Ben Grondin. Bekkers graduated after the 2019 season and finished his Tigers career with 23 goals in 61 games played over the course of his five seasons. Grondin unfortunately missed his senior season due to the COVID-19 pandemic and will also be heavily missed by the program after compiling a 12-5-7 record with 11 clean sheets during his time as a Tiger.
The end of the 2019 year also saw the departure of long-term head coach Pat Nearing.
“Pat Nearing was a great mentor to me, and it was a pleasure working and learning under him, both in football and in life,” says head coach Alan Jazic. “I learned a lot from him, and he is still a massive support for me as I start my first competitive season as a head coach. I truly appreciate the relationship we’ve developed and all the support he’s given me and continues to give me.”
In his 21 seasons at the helm Nearing finished his career with a record of 131 wins, 72 losses and 61 draws. Nearing holds the record for wins (131) and games coached (264) by a men’s soccer head coach at Dalhousie.
The team will be adding midfielder Jack Ellis who is following in his parents’ footsteps by playing soccer in the black and gold. Jack’s parents, Carla (Perry) and Mark both medalled at nationals with Dalhousie in the 1990’s and both have been inducted into the Dalhousie Sports Hall of Fame.
“Our first-year rookies and “COVID rookies” are adapting very well,” says Jazic. “That's credit to our veterans for bringing them in and integrating them into the team. I’m excited about our rookie class. We have a great nucleus for years to come.”
Another addition to the lineup this fall includes veteran forward William Warren. Warren comes to Dalhousie after four strong seasons with St. Francis Xavier where he posted six goals and five assists in 31 games played.
“We’ll be looking to the experience of Enrico Rodriguez, Will Warren and Gracious Kasheke to help with the goals,” says Jazic, “but we also have a number of highly-motivated young players who are ready to make significant contributions to the team immediately.”
The Tigers pre-season schedule kicked off earlier this month with a 1-0 loss to Cape Breton and a 2-0 loss to Acadia. A matchup this past weekend against Saint Mary’s saw them pick up their first exhibition win by a score of 2-0 before concluding pre-season play on Monday with another victory, this time over Moncton by a score of 3-1.
As for the regular season schedule, the Tigers kick off their campaign on September 11th at host to the UNB Reds at 3:15PM at Wickwire Field.
“The energy is very high, which is to be expected,” adds Jazic. “COVID had an impact on everyone, but everyone seems really excited to be back competing.”
Four of the team’s first five games will be at home which will be vital to their playoff hopes as they look to make the postseason for the third-straight year. Another marquee match-up comes on September 16th when they face off against the Saint Mary’s Huskies in what will be a rematch of their 2019 AUS quarter-final game. The second half of the season is quite heavy with their last four games coming against powerhouses Cape Breton (October 24, 30) and St. Francis Xavier (October 22, 29). The season wraps up at home on October 30th against Cape Breton.
Kickoff this Saturday versus UNB at Wickwire Field goes at 3:15PM.