Nolan hopes to show his Wirth for the Victoria Highlanders.
The six-foot-one junior goalkeeper out of the Comox Valley, Nolan Wirth, has completed his school work at Oregon State, where he plays in the Pac-12 for the Beavers, and will join the Highlanders for their weekend road set in Washington state. It begins Friday night in Redmond against Washington Crossfire and concludes Sunday in Seattle against the MLS-affiliate Sounders U-23.
Victoria head coach Dave Dew said Wirth, a former member of the Vancouver Whitecaps residency program, will split the United Soccer League Premier Development League games with Brandon Watson, who has carried the load so far in goal for the Highlanders.
鈥淎nd we will do the same next week and split the goaltending because we have back-to-back games at home [against the Crossfire at Centennial Stadium],鈥� said Dew.
The Highlanders and Crossfire (both 2-2-3) and Sounders U-23 (3-3) are all bunched at nine points each in the PDL Northwest Division standings behind the leading Calgary Foothills (13 points) and second-place Lane United of Eugene, Oregon (10). Portland Timbers U-23 (6 points) and Kitsap Pumas (5) close out the foot of the table, although the Pumas have been docked six points for using an ineligible player.
鈥淭his is a huge weekend for us because we鈥檙e tied with the teams we鈥檙e playing against,鈥� said Dew.
Both the Crossfire and Sounders U-23 present interesting challenges.
鈥淭he Crossfire have access to the Gonzaga, Western Washington and Seattle Pacific type of collegiate players and are always pretty strong,鈥� Dew said.
鈥淭heir new coach [Jim Rilatt coming across from Timbers U-23] is very well organized and demands a lot.鈥�
The Sounders U-23 label speaks for itself.
鈥淭hey are very proud of being a machine producing more than 45 players who have gone on to the higher levels, including some to the MLS Sounders,鈥� Dew said.
