Smith waiting for next season

The Kwantlen women’s soccer team has come back from the CCAA national championships without a medal.

The Eagles finished fifth in the six-team tournament after losing 3-2 to the hosts, NAIT, in extra time and then losing 2-1 to Humber the following day.

Despite finishing the regular season seven points behind the UBC Okanagan Heat, the team still managed to win the provincials, after they beat Langara 2-0 in the final and went through the tournament without conceding a goal.

The Eagles claimed a berth in the national championships by winning the provincial tournament they hosted.

The club picked up a bronze medal in the national tournament last year, and was looking to build on that with their new head coach, Gordon Smith.

Smith and his team arrived on the field a day early to scout NAIT, who teed off against Humber, knowing that his team would have to win all of their matches if they wanted the championship.

“We had scouted NAIT the day before, and one of their players scored off of a great free kick. We were aware of that and she did the exact same thing against us. That was a bit disappointing. But the girls fought back really hard,” said the head coach.

The following day, the women had to play Humber, but fell short and lost 2-1.

With two losses on the board, Smith’s team would have to play for fifth place.

They beat Holland in their last match and finished fifth in Edmonton.

Forward Shanay Sangha was named on the tournament all-star team, scoring twice in Kwantlen’s three matches.

Smith believes that his first year in charge is a base which he can expand on for next season.

“Having not seen the players before, and it being my first year, it took a while to get to know their strengths and where they best fit on the field. I think going into next year, I will be ahead of the game in terms of playing them in the right spots and using their abilities better.”

The women’s team will raise their provincial banner in the gym at Surrey Campus before the women’s basketball team tips off against Camosun Chargers on Friday, Nov. 26.