Eagles aim for second straight provincial title
September 18, 2010 by Josh Saggau · 1 Comment
Nicole Gibbons watches her shot during a scrimmage at practice on Sept. 15. (Photo by Josh Saggau)
“There’s an expectation,” says Gordon Smith, the new head coach of the Kwantlen Eagles women’s soccer team.
As a new season gets under way for the team there are high expectations. Last season, the team used penalty shootouts to power their way to a provincial title and a bronze medal finish at the nationals, the first national medal of any kind for Kwantlen.
But with only seven players from that championship team returning, it isn’t going to be easy and youth will be the highlight of the new squad.
The biggest hole for the Eagles to fill will be the 24×8-foot net at their end of the field. Last year’s starting goalkeeper, Amelia Ng, was the not only the team’s MVP, but also the provincial tournament’s MVP for her performance in the playoffs.
Filling Ng’s net will be new rookie recruit, Melina Gomez.
“I love it. Mo’s [Monivoi Vataiki] a good keeper, so I’m excited to be starting. I just have to keep practising hard and hopefully I’ll keep the starting position.”
Smith said they have challenged the other keepers to battle hard for the starting role but Gomez should continue to start for now.
Gomez looks to be just one part of the new youth movement for the team, which has 10 rookies on the roster. But, like any good team, the Eagles will rely heavily on their veterans to guide the team. That starts with their captain, defender Brittany McNeill, who looks to play an even larger role with the team this year.
“The returning players have a great work ethic and a great attitude and they want to win,” said Assistant Coach Joan McEachern, who has been with the team since 2003.
Both McEachern and Smith are confident of the team’s chances of success this year but are quick to point out that it will be no easy task, as there are a lot of good teams in the province.
“I was just thinking about that the other day: Who has repeated in the last four years? No one. It speaks volumes to the parity in the league,” said McEachern.
The last team to repeat as provincial champs was the Langara Falcons in ’06-’07. After becoming the first Kwantlen team to win a national medal, the Eagles are confident going into the ’10-’11 season.
“I think that everyone’s goal is to get to Nationals again… and see if we can catch lightning in a bottle again,” said Smith.
Soccer team looks to add new players
March 12, 2010 by Kirk Darbyshire · Leave a Comment
The Kwantlen men’s soccer team is holding three talent identification sessions next week in the hope of finding quality players to add to the roster for next season.
“Evaluations are open to anyone who contacts me showing their interest in joining Kwantlen,” said Ajit Braich, head coach of Kwantlen’s men’s soccer team.
“Players should attend as many of the three sessions as possible. We need to see the players in a group setting.”
Sessions will be held off-campus at the South Surrey Athletic Park on Monday, March 15; Wednesday, March 17; and Friday, March 19. All training sessions will run from 6:30-8:30 p.m..
“The number of returning players will greatly depend on the turn out and quality of the evaluation camps,” said Braich.
Anyone interested must contact Braich at msoccer@kwantlen.ca prior to attending an identification session.
Eagles split with Falcons: women lose at buzzer, men win third straight
February 14, 2010 by Jacob Zinn · Leave a Comment
Doug Meyers retrieves the stray basketball from Brad Quevillon, who dove for it in an attempted turnover. (Jacob Zinn photo)
Friday night, the Kwantlen Eagles won some and lost some against the Langara Falcons on home court in men’s and women’s basketball.
A questionable pushing foul on Taminder Dhaliwal in the fourth quarter allowed the Falcons to sink two free throws with seven seconds left on the clock.
The score was close for most of the game with the women’s team just behind 27-26 at the end of the second quarter. Shortly after, Jessica Williams closed the gap, tying the game 33.
Other highlights included a breakaway layup by Dhaliwal in the third and a layup through a crowded court by Grace Pawluk.
The women’s team league record sits at seven wins, nine losses.
Meanwhile, the men’s team picked up its third straight win, beating Langara 80-66.
The Eagles closed in on a 20-point lead in the third quarter with four consecutive baskets, two of which were three-point shots, making the score 56-36. The Falcons tried to catch up, but Kwantlen maintained a steady lead through the fourth.
Highlights included a series of baskets by Doug Meyers and a collision between Mike Davis and Langara’s Yassine Ghomari. Davis limped off the court in the remaining seconds of the second quarter, but returned to the court in the third.
The men’s record is now six wins, 10 losses.
Jessica Williams drives past Jade Arignon towards the basket for two points. (Jacob Zinn photo)
Emily Wright dribbles the ball while attempting to pass Stephanie Scott. (Jacob Zinn photo)
Williams keeps up the defense against Jena Riches around the three-point line.
Taminder Dhaliwal tries to block Paige Burnham from passing to her teammates.
Kevin Kokoska wins the tip-off, getting the basketball away from Karol Cybula.
Mike Davis directs his teammates around the Falcons’ basket in the second quarter.
Varinder Singh attempts to keep Hardeep Braich from shooting or passing.
Bernie Love, the Kwantlen Eagle’s Head Coach for the men’s team, provides motivation as the fourth quarter winds down.
Eagles basketball throws down back-to-back barnburners
February 6, 2010 by Justin Langille · Leave a Comment
Eagles forward Shmyla Thandi takes it to the net in the second quarter, helping to secure an Eagles lead. (Justin Langille photo)
Emily Wright powers past Quest Kermodes guard Brittany Harteveld in the third quarter, earning the Eagles a 40-31 lead over the Kermodes. (Justin Langille photo)
Ali Randa throws a shot above Kermodes guard Charlotte Lau and forward Courtney Harpur, giving the Eagles a 49-38 advantage at the end of the third quarter. (Justin Langille photo)
By Kyle Vinoly
It was a tense fourth quarter for the Kwantlen Eagle’s Women’s basketball team, as they defeated the Quest University Kermodes of Squamish 62-59 Friday. After dominating the first half of their match-up against Quest, competition heated up and the game came down to a nail-bitting final two minutes.
“Into the fourth quarter, we stopped playing defense,” said Eagle’s guard Emily Wright, who played 37 minutes and drained one of the trio of three-point shots made by the Eagles. “We always play well for the first three quarters and then the fourth quarter we don’t do well.”
Eagle’s coach Gary Pawluck said that the girls have had many close finishes this year but thinks it’s helped make them a better team.
“We came out with real intensity today,” said Pawluck. “We missed a few easy shots in the second half, and [Quest] stepped up and made some good shots.”
The women also faced off against Quest Saturday, in an attempt to secure a spot in the B.C. Provincial Championships. (Results will follow.)
“I don’t think anyone ever picked Kwantlen to make the playoffs, ever,” said Eagles forward Shmyla Thandi, who posted 11 points in the night and secured a double-double, getting 10 defensive rebounds. “It’s exciting, it motivates me for the next game.”
Eagles forward Ali Bosir looks for a way to the net halfway into the first quarter. (Justin Langille photo)
Seconds from the end, Coach Robbie Love draws out a play that will secure Kwantlen’s hard fought win over the Kermodes. (Justin Langille photo)
Varinder Singh gets airborne as he celebrates the Eagles win. (Justin Langille photo)
By Kyle Vinoly
A high-pressure free throw from Eagle’s guard Mike Davis sealed a win for the Eagle’s in the final 30 seconds of the fourth quarter of their Friday game against Quest University Kermodes of Squamish 65 to 64.
The Eagle’s were ahead by 10 points at the end of the first quarter but the men from Quest fought back in the second and third quarters. The lead changed 12 times before the Eagles finally won, 65-64.
Kwantlen women’s soccer team adds four new recruits
February 5, 2010 by Katie Lawrence · Leave a Comment
The Kwantlen women’s soccer team has signed four new recruits for next season’s team.
Hilary Andow, Melina Gomez, Tiffany O’Krane and Norma Sheane have agreed to play for the Eagles in the 2010-’11 season.
Andow went to R.C. Palmer Secondary in Richmond, where she played midfield and forward for the Griffins. She won the school’s Top Athlete award in Grades 8, 10, 11 and 12. She already has two years of collegiate soccer under her belt, and head coach Vladimir Samozvanov expects her to be one of the team leaders in the coming season.
Gomez is Kwantlen’s newest goalie and she has provincial and national soccer experience. She also won Athlete of the Year in 2007 at her high school, Carson Graham in Vancouver.
O’Krane is a midfielder/defenseman from Fleetwood Park Secondary in Surrey, where she won Athlete of the Year and MVP on her soccer team Grades 8 through 11.
Sheane is no new face to Samozvanov. He’s coached the defensive player in the past and is excited to have her join the Eagles this year. She was a member of the U18 Burnaby United, which was a 2009 national finalist; the U17 provincial championship team; and the U17 Las Vegas Tournament champions team in 2008.
Samozvanov feels that the new players will add to the squad’s style of play.
“The main goal in recruiting for me was to replace graduated players and add new dimension to the team’s play,” he said. “The [overall] goal is to build a strong team, which we were able to do for the past two years, and we want to keep the momentum going.”
Kwantlen’s 2009-’10 team won the school’s first-ever provincial title and the first national medal, with a third place finish at the Canadian Collegiate Athletics Association national tournament in Ontario.
VIU sinks Eagles basketball teams Saturday
February 1, 2010 by Justin Langille · Comments Off
Eagles gaurd Ali Randa pushes past Marniners forward Katie Pearson, left, and Shayna Worthington for a chance at the ball in the second quarter. (Justin Langille photo)
Both Kwantlen Eagles basketball teams suffered tough losses against Victoria Island University Mariners at home in Surrey Saturday.
The Mariners put the women’s team through the wringer first, coming out with a 91-47 win over the Eagles.
Eagles forwards Shmyla Thandi and Chantelle Doerksen led in points for the Eagles with 15 and nine points.
The teams tied in three-point shot efficiency.
On the men’s side, things weren’t much better, with the Mariners men’s team taking an 87-66 win over the Eagles.
Forward Ali Bosir and guard Mike Davis managed to pull together 16 points each for the Eagles, but their hard work wasn’t enough to come back from an 83-61 Mariners lead. The Eagles led the Mariners in three point shots 18-15.
Gary Pawluk, coach of the Eagles women’s team says that while the team showed a strong effort the night before, only losing by nine, he wants his team to be playing a higher, more consistent level.
Next Friday and Saturday, the Eagles will face off against the Quest University Kermodes, games that Pawluk says will determine whether the Eagles make it into the playoffs.
“We gotta work hard this week to succeed this weekend,” said Pawluk. “It’s one of our most important weekends of the year. We have to adjust to their style of play and their strengths and take care of their strengths accordingly and try to utilize ours a little better.”
Eagles forward Varinder Singh tries to evade guard Rylan Higginson while looking for a way through Mariners' defence. (Justin Langille photo)
Live coverage of the Eagles
January 29, 2010 by mark · Leave a Comment
Eagles come up short against island hoops teams
January 29, 2010 by Kirk Darbyshire · Leave a Comment
Brenden Graham of the Eagles dunks against Vancouver Island University in the mens basketball game being played now at the Surrey campus. (Katie Lawrence photo)
Kevin Kokoska of the Eagles shoots a jumper against Vancouver Island University. (Katie Lawrence photo)
On a night of celebration for Kwantlen soccer fans, the school’s basketball followers didn’t have much to cheer about.
Within hours of the raising of the Kwantlen soccer team banner to celebrate their national championship bronze medal Friday, the Eagles men’s team lost 94-68 to the Vancouver Island University (VIU) Mariners in their first home game since Nov. 7.
Despite Mike Davis’ 22 points, the game high, the Eagles couldn’t find a shooting rhythm. Both Lenny Piprah and Doug Meyers also pitched in, with 15 and 11 points.
Kwantlen fell behind early, but kept the game close, down 10 after the first quarter. But VIU started to pull away in the second and led 51-32 at the half. They outscored Kwantlen 43-36 in the second half, never losing the lead during the game.
VIU’s Mike Wohlers hit six three-pointers and led his team with 20 points in the game, while Andrew Kaban contributed with 15 and Jake Hayton had 14.
With that loss, Kwantlen fell to 10-13 on the year.
Jessica Williams shoots a free throw, as the Kwantlen Eagles were in tough against Vancouver Island University, Friday night in Surrey, losing 68-59. The game was live tweeted at www.twitter.com/ChronicleOnline. (Katie Lawrence photo)
Taminder Dhaliwal drives up court against Vancouver Island University Friday.
Women’s record falls to .500
The Kwantlen Eagles women’s basketball team came up short Friday night at home as the Mariners from Vancouver Island University defeated them 68-59.
The Eagles, who were led by forward Chantelle Doerksen’s 17 points, trailed from start to finish in a game that saw no lead changes. The largest spread in points came just before the half time break when VIU enjoyed a 19-point advantage over Kwantlen.
The Mariners leading scorer was guard Katherine Pearson who poured in 17 points of her own. As a team, VIU shot 36.5 per cent from the floor and went 13 for 18 from the free throw line.
VIU also enjoyed a decided advantage on points off turnovers, outscoring the Eagles 17-9 in that category.
The loss drops the Eagles record to an even .500 for the season, going 7-7 in league play, while the victory solidifies the Mariners position at the top of the BCAA league standings with a record of 10-2.
Kwantlen mascot needs a name
January 13, 2010 by Kirk Darbyshire · 1 Comment
The Kwantlen Eagles mascot is in need of a name and the athletics department is challenging students to come up with it, offering an iPod touch to the winner.
The mascot, which was designed by a collaboration of student opinions, is a giant eagle that has been nameless since its first appearance last September at a school sporting event.
“We feel that this is a great opportunity for students to get involved and show their school spirit,†said Katlyn Moore, Kwantlen’s athletic director.
The contest requires students to submit their suggested names to the athletic department web site before the Jan. 15 deadline. Once all the name ideas have been reviewed, the athletics department will post the 10 finalists on the Kwantlen website and students will be able to vote for their favourite.
“The response has been really good,†said Moore, who claims there have been over 60 unique names suggested already.
The winning name will be announced on Jan. 29 at the same time as the school raises the Kwantlen women’s soccer team’s championship banner in the Surrey gymnasium prior to both the men’s and women’s basketball games against Vancouver Island University.
Kwantlen soccer field plans in the works
December 7, 2009 by Katie Lawrence · 2 Comments
The gravel fields at Newton Athletic Park (NAP) could be the future home of Kwantlen's own turf field. NAP is about two minutes away from the Surrey campus. (Katie Lawrence photo)
Plans are being drawn up between Kwantlen and the City of Surrey to put a turf soccer field at Newton Athletic Park, down the street from the Surrey campus.
Nothing is official yet, but Gordon Lee, vice-president of finance and administration at Kwantlen, feels that partnering with the city to build the field for Kwantlen’s use would greatly benefit the school.
“We have never put a lot of money into athletics. Over the past 10 years, we’ve created a gym at one campus, and we’ve developed varsity teams in four sports (basketball, soccer, badminton and golf), but again, we have never invested much in facilities,” said Lee.
Lee said that the new field would include a Kwantlen scoreboard, the university’s logo at midfield and seating for 500, but the field wouldn’t be used exclusively by Kwantlen. Since the school is sharing the cost of the field, which Lee estimates to be around $2.5 million, with the city, Surrey soccer teams would be able to use the field. Kwantlen would have priority on which times they get the field.
“The city will go ahead if we don’t partner with them, although we do think it is in the interest of the university to enter into a partnership arrangement with the city to gain access to a field which we can use that would be ours,” Lee said.
For the past five to seven years, Kwantlen has been looking into putting in an athletic field for the school’s use, but there are a couple of challenges that need to be overcome before anything can be put into action.
“There’s not a lot of space and, unfortunately, we need the space right now for parking lots,” said Lee. “The other issue is the cost of putting in a turf field, which is really the only way to go in our climate.”
But now that the field can be built at Newton Athletic Park and with cost-sharing with Surrey, both of those challenges seem to be remedied. All that’s necessary for field construction to start is a stamp of approval from Kwantlen’s Board of Governors.
Lee said Kwantlen’s share of the field cost will be taken out of university resources; none of the money will come out the students’ pockets.
If everything goes ahead as planned, construction of the field will start early in the new year and it should be ready for the 2010 soccer season.
In the future, Lee said that Kwantlen hopes to expand fitness and sports facilities at all campuses to get everyone involved in either competitive or recreational sports, but the problem is the lack of space.
“The Richmond campus is even more of a problem, because there’s no land space around there at all. We have been talking with the City of Richmond about using the Oval after the Olympics and that’s a big possibility for the indoor sports,” he said.
