Although the weather forecast is looking a little better for the weekend, Tracy David wouldn鈥檛 mind if it suddenly started raining goals at Centennial Stadium.
Her University of Victoria Vikes (0-2-1) have scored just once in opening the sa国际传媒 West women鈥檚 soccer season with 1-0 and 3-1 losses, respectively, against the UBC Thunderbirds and Trinity Western Spartans, and a scoreless draw against the Fraser Valley Cascades.
Striker Emma Greig from Tofino, a veteran on a young Vikes team rebuilding after a heavy graduation year, has UVic鈥檚 lone goal on the season heading into conference fixtures Friday against the University of Northern sa国际传媒 Timberwolves and Saturday against the Alberta Pandas. Both games have 5 p.m. start times.
鈥淲e鈥檝e got to generate more offensively and line up better from midfield to striker. Our service to the front has to be better,鈥� said David, in her 14th season as Vikes head coach.
鈥淓mma [Greig] draws three or four defenders, yet still she manages to turn on the ball. We鈥檝e got to give Emma some more options.鈥�
Friday provides a good opportunity against a Timberwolves team (0-1-1) that has lost 3-0 to the Thompson Rivers WolfPack and tied UBC-Okanagan 1-1. Things could open up for UVic after starting the season against three teams 鈥� Thunderbirds, Spartans, Cascades 鈥� all ranked in the CIS top-10. Greig had four goals last season against UNBC in 5-0 and 6-1 sa国际传媒 West victories. But then again, this isn鈥檛 last season.
Patience being a virtue may be a clich茅. But it鈥檚 a very real one during a rebuild season in which five 2014 Vikes starters 鈥� including former captain Carlita Branion-Calles and former Canadian U-20 FIFA World Cup international Jaclyn Sawicki 鈥� had to be replaced.
鈥淲e are looking on it as a process,鈥� said David.
The Pandas, meanwhile, are 1-0-1 after opening with a 2-1 victory over UBC-Okanagan and settling for a 2-2 draw against Thompson Rivers.
In sa国际传媒 West men鈥檚 action, the Vikes are undefeated at 2-0-1 and away Friday to Trinity Western in Langley and to the Fraser Valley Cascades on Saturday in Abbotsford.
The Vikes, who staged a dramatic rally from a 3-1 deficit to defeat UNBC 5-3 last weekend, have gate-crashed the CIS men鈥檚 national top-10 poll this week at No. 7.
