While the Canadian national 颅soccer teams they once led as players are flying high, with Olympic gold in women鈥檚 and a good start in World Cup qualifying in men鈥檚, Tracy David鈥檚 and Bruce Wilson鈥檚 University of Victoria Vikes teams are only now lifting off after being grounded by the pandemic.
The floodlights finally go back on this evening at 颅Centennial Stadium, following the cancellation of the 2020 sa国际传媒 West season, with the 2021 openers against the University of Northern sa国际传媒 Timberwolves with the women鈥檚 game at 5 p.m. and men鈥檚 at 7:15 p.m.
There鈥檚 quite a bit of rust to shake off.
鈥淲e鈥檝e noticed a lot more injuries through collisions in training and in exhibition games than normal,鈥� said Vikes women鈥檚 team head coach David, whose pioneering play in the early days of the female national team program helped pave the way to the top of the podium this summer in Tokyo.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a spatial awareness thing that the body and mind seem to have forgotten and which will take time to get back. There鈥檚 no science behind it but simply an observation that I have made. But we鈥檙e so excited to get back at it for real after a year and a half.鈥�
But the ripple effects from the lost pandemic season will be felt in many ways.
鈥淲e essentially have two first-year incoming classes, the 2020 and 2021 [rookie] classes,鈥� said seven-time sa国际传媒 West coach of the year David, in her 19th season on the Vikes bench.
That will take a few years to sort out for all varsity programs which lost their 2020 seasons across all sports.
At the veteran end, UVic was more fortunate than most with a heavy graduating class following the 8-3-3 2019 season, which meant less career decisions 颅having to be made by older 颅players because of the lost year.
Among the 2019 graduates was goalkeeper Puck Louwes, who carried the load in goal for the Vikes during her standout career. Claremont Secondary product Kayley Lidstone, one of those 2020 rookies who endured last year鈥檚 dark season, will step up to inherit the crease mantle. The key Vikes field returnee is fifth-year midfielder Kyra Teetzen out of Quesnel.
The Vikes were ranked fifth out of the 16 sa国际传媒 West teams in the preseason coaches poll behind UBC, Trinity Western, Calgary and MacEwan.
鈥淭alk is cheap. Only performance will tell the tale,鈥� said David.
Meanwhile, David said she hopes sa国际传媒鈥檚 Olympic gold medal will spur the 11 Canadian pro soccer teams in the MLS and CPL to field female teams to give more opportunities for women鈥檚 players coming out of university and college.
鈥淧ressure needs to be put on them [Canadian men鈥檚 pro teams],鈥� said David.
The Wilson-helmed men鈥檚 Vikes team comes in ranked eighth in the preseason coaches poll among the 13 sa国际传媒 West men鈥檚 teams. The top five consists of UBC, Mount Royal, Trinity Western, Alberta and Thompson Rivers. UNBC comes in tonight to Centennial Stadium ranked No. 10 in the conference.
Wilson, who captained sa国际传媒 in its only World Cup appearance in 1986, is entering his 33rd year at the Vikes helm after guiding the squad to an 8-6-1 record in 2019.
Six-foot-five Evan Libke, a fifth-year defender out of North Vancouver, keeps the air space clear in front of goal, and will captain the Vikes this season.
The Vikes and Timberwolves will meet again Saturday at 颅Centennial Stadium with the women playing at 5 p.m. and the men at 7:15 p.m.
sa国际传媒 teams will only play teams within the province in the regular season conference schedule.
