8 THE VOICE | THURSDAY, OCT. 24,2019 | EDITOR TIERNEY GRATTAN Sportsnews ome urf too istant Men's team wants home field advantage ™® By LAUREN GARGIULO he lack of an easily accessible playing field for the Lang- ara men’s soccer team is one of the reasons the team didn’t qual- ify for the Pacific Western Athletic Association Championship this season according to the coach. Langara College despite not competing will host the champion- ship games offsite at the Burnaby Lake Sports Complex West Fields. Vancouver Island University, Doug- las College and Capilano Univer- sity will be competing and winners will go on to Ontario for a national competition. Coach Marc Rizzardo said Lang- ara has a good record, athletically and academically across the coun- try. But the lack of a soccer field has made it tough. Of the final four teams leading up to the PACWEST Champion- ship, Langara is the only one with- out a field on or near the campus. Despite not qualifying, Langara will nevertheless host the tournament — offsite at Burnaby Lake Sports Complex West. “I would love to get a field on campus,” said Jake McCallum, director of athletics and intramurals at Langara. “We don't have a lot of space.” ‘The Falcon’s field is Musqueam Turf, located off of SW Marine Drive in the Musqueam First Nation Land at 4921 Staulo Cr. The team practices five days a week and plays back to back games Saturday and Sunday during the regular season, which ended on Oct. 20. While other teams’ have the opportunity to have school engage- ment, because of the far location, it is difficult to bring students to the games according to Rizzardo. “Support from the student body is zero,’ he said. ‘The lack of student engagement from fans coming to see the game does not stop the team from being their own biggest fans, according to Joey Ratcliffe, the team’s captain. Ratcliffe said he and his team- mates have formed a close connec- tion. “We spend the week together. It really cements that bond,” Ratcliffe said. “I think that’s one of the biggest things about playing for this team.” PACWEST STANDINGS VIU W-D-L 7-3-2 Ranked: 1st DOUGLAS W-D-L 6-4-2 Ranked: 2nd CAPILANO W-D-L 4-4-4 Ranked: 3rd LANGARA W-D-L 2-8-2 Ranked: 4th 2S SEASON PREVIEW The women's team works hard to gel together and work cohesively in practice, Oct. 16 2019. sTEVEN CHANG PHOTO Falcons pressing ahead Men aim to strengthen defence, women work on cohesion = By STEVEN CHANG nly one returning female athlete for the Falcons means fans will be seeing many new players this year, while on the men’s side, the returning veterans will lead the offensive. Heading into the season, which begins Nov. 1, both women’s and men’s basketball are working to improve on last year’s performances. Last season, with a string of injuries and a weak defense, the men lost in the quarterfinal of the Pacific West- ern Conference. Meanwhile, the women finished in fourth place, and will build on gelling in the hopes to rank higher this year. Men's team coach Paul Eberhardt stated they intend to press more ageressively and force more turn- overs this season. “I would expect by late Janu- ary and Febru- ary that we'll be competitive with everyone else in the league,” Eberhardt said. Returning veterans Moeiz Athaya, a third- year student, and Tyler Anderson, in his fourth-year, will provide lead- ership and keep an eye on younger team members who may need more support. “Work ethic has been the key." — BINNY ATWAL, FIRST-YEAR RECRUIT Last year, the team lost players due to injuries and academic issues which gave redshirt team member Jason Claur a chance to step in and help the team. Now a full-fledged player, Claur will make a big difference on the men’s team according to Anderson. “Jason will help us out. We were in a tough situation last year and having him as a redshirt to be ready to play made a big difference,” said Anderson. Steph von Riedemann is the only returning female athlete this year for the women’s basketball team at Langara College, with many of the new players coming from the U.S. The women’s coach Curtis Nelson praised his team for the extra prepa- ration and work all 12 team members have put in, saying they wouldn't expect anything less than excellence. “Work ethic has been the key,” first-year recruit Binny Atwal said. “We tried to adapt the mentality of always doing more and not settling for average.” Katie Skipworth a native from Lebanon, Oregon, said they have been working very hard this season. “We're pretty young. I think we all have the attitude of wanting to be here,” Skipworth said. ANGARA } ro € i Langara's current men's team plays against alumni players at the Langara Gym, Oct. 18 2019. sTEVEN CHANG PHOTO