Metro Vancouver…..The KPU Eagles men’s soccer team drop their first road game of the 2014-2015 PACWEST CCAA season today to the Douglas College Royals 3-0. The Eagles are now 1-1-0 and will play their next game tomorrow versus the Langara College Falcons.
The Eagles would struggle to find their offensive pace. Fifth-year KPU Eagles defender Lucas Rimmer, Surrey, BC had an excellent chance with a header that went off the post, courtesy of a Rylan Sangha, Richmond, BC, corner kick. At 50:00, first-year KPU forward Justin Turner-Pearce, Richmond, BC, had another opportunity for the Eagles with a direct shot that was saved by Royals fourth-year goalkeeper, Marc Mincieli, Surrey, BC.
Head Coach Srdjan Djekanovic commented, “It was a pretty even game to start Douglas changed the course of the game with two first-half goals that we couldn’t bounce back from. We battled hard in the second half, but failed to find a goal to put us back in the game.”
First-year Douglas forward Spencer Deboice, Surrey, BC, found the net early in the first half to get the Royals on the board. First-year Douglas midfielder Kalifala Konneh, Liberia, would echo at 44:00 with a goal of his own. Deboice would again beat KPU Eagles’ first-year goalkeeper David Hicks, Surrey, BC, this time on a counter in the second half.
Hicks played all 90 minutes in his second PACWEST CCAA regular season match and first-year KPU defender Nawaf Binsaleh, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, had a strong game, as did second-year Eagles forward Abdul Kulan, Tripoli, Libya.
“We have to learn from this,“ Coach Djekanovic, “We need to recognize where our strengths and challenges lie and then put those lessons into action in the future.”
The next match for the Eagles is tomorrow, Sunday, September 7, with a 12:00pm kick off against the Langara College Falcons at Hugh Boyd Field in Richmond.
The next home match for the KPU Eagles men’s soccer team is Saturday, September 13 when they take on the Quest University Kermodes at 2:00pm at Newton Athletic Park in Surrey.
For more information on the Department of Athletics & Recreation, please contact Junelle Mah, sports information and marketing, at 604-786-0804 or at junelle.mah@kpu.ca.
The KPU Eagles Department of Athletics & Recreation enters its 14th season of interuniversity competition. The Eagles are members of the PACWEST conference and play in the Canadian College Athletic Association (CCAA) with 100 student-athletes participating on eight varsity teams in men’s and women’s basketball, soccer, badminton and golf. KPU athletics plays its home games at the Eagles’ Nest (Surrey Campus), Northview Golf & Country Club, Newton Athletic Park, all located in Surrey, BC and the Ace Badminton Centre in Richmond, BC. The Eagles are active in the conference with staff members on various advisory committees and competing to host both provincial and national championships. The student-athletes are mainly from the lower mainland but KPU’s rosters have included student-athletes from North America, South America, Asia and Europe.
Follow the Eagles on Twitter @KPUEagles, on Facebook www.facebook.com/kpueagles, or visit our website at www.kpu.ca/eagles.