4 THEVOICE | THURSDAY,NOVEMBER 10,2022 | EDITOR JORDAN COPP AND CORVIN VASKI Soccerspecial Voice students report from the field Journalism students get experience covering national soccer tournament =& BySAMANTHA HOLOMAY he Langara journalism and athletics departments have formed a partner- ship to bring coverage of the upcoming Canadian Colle- giate Athletic Association Men's Soccer National Championships that Langara is hosting. Langara was chosen to host the soccer tournament that will bring eight teams from across the country to compete for four days in Novem- ber at the Langley Event Centre. Jake McCallum, Langara director of student engagement and athlet- ics, said the tournament offers many opportunities for anyone interested in writing or sports. CCAA PLAYER PROFILES “When the journalism students are there, they're going to see these student-athletes, the elation, the excitement, the pain, the loss, and emotion,” he said. “It’s an excel- lent opportunity for students to get involved.” This partnership will deliver stories, photos, and other forms of media to the CCAA and for the Langara Voice to use in publishing. The association also gives students new opportunities on a national level of media coverage and unique learn- ing experiences. The Langara Falcons have some advantages by hosting, such as a short travel distance and staying in the same time zone. Erica Bulman of Langara’s journalism department says it's a great opportunity to learn the basics of covering live sports. “Their stories are going to be posted nationwide,” she said. “It’s a very rare experience where they get to cover a national sporting event and be part of that and experienc- ing it first hand.” Wade Kolmel, director of athlet- ics at Southern Alberta Institute of Technology, also hosted the CCAA Men’s Tournament coming out of the pandemic. He says the most challenging part about hosting a tournament is for the students. “You're dealing with your own home environment, your own fans, your own friends, and balancing a school schedule while you’re hosting your own tournament.” LOCATION CCAA Championship matches will take place at the Langley Events Centre on the North West Synthetic Field at Willoughby Com- munity Park in the Langley Township. Langley Events Centre Willoughby Community Park 7888 - 200 St. , Langley (604) 882-8800 THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2022 10:00 PT Match 5 - Bronze Quarterfinal 12:30 PT Match 6 - Bronze Quarterfinal 15:00 PT = Match 7 - Semifinal 17:30 PT Match 8 - Semifinal FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 2022 9:30 PT Match 9 - 7/8 Placement Match 12:00 PT = Match 10 - Bronze Semifinal 15:00 PT = Match 11 - Bronze Semifinal SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2022R 9:30 PT Match 9 - 5/6 Placement Match 12:00 PT = Match 11 - Bronze Medal 15:00 PT = Match 12 - Gold Medal 17:00 PT Closing Ceremonies VIU MARINERS Billy Bagiopoulos, forward The Mariner’s head coach Kevin Lindo describes Vasilis Bagiopoulos as the team’s “danger man”. As the team’s top goal scorer Bagiopoulos was picked for the PACWEST all-star team. Lindo says Bagiopoulos “demands high expecta- tions of himself and others.” Bagiopoulos proved to the league he can perform at a high level in big games, scoring three goals in the two conference championship games winning gold for the Mariners. LES ROUGES DE SAINT-BONIFACE Franck Oumar N'Dia, forward Assistant coach for the Rouges, Yahia Chihab, says N’dia grew up playing on the streets of the Abidjan, in the Ivory Coast, where he integrated into an acad- emy system as an eight-year-old. Ndia is “clinical in front of the net,” says Chihab. It seemed the clinic was open during the Manitoba Colleges Athletic Conference gold medal game, with Ndia scoring two goals in a 4-3 upset over the previously number one seeded Brandon University. SAIT TROJANS Senay Haile, midfield Head coach Connor Brady describes Haile’s playing style as “fluid.” He makes things look easy, disguises passes’ and takes quick breaks on the ball. Haile is the Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference south division player of the year, south Alberta championship tournament all- star, and was selected for the south divi- sion all-conference team. Haile scored 11 goals in 10 games making him the season's top scorer in the south Alberta division. HUMBER HAWKS Luca Uccello, midfield Uccello has multiple appearances for the under-18 and under-20 Cana- dian national team. He signed with the Humber Hawks in 2021 from the semi-pro-team, [CF II. Uccello has been dominant in the Ontario Colleges Athletic Association conference this year. Head Coach Michael Aquino says at the midfield, Uccello can create and score goals in attacking and defensive phases. Uccello was named player of the year in the OCAA and led the Hawks to a conference first-place finish this year. HY HOLLAND HURRICANES Mohammad Alhaj Ali, forward This year Ali was selected as the Atlantic Collegiate Athletic Association conference player of the year, Atlantic championship tournament all-star, and picked for the Atlantic conference all-star team. Teammate Clay Kelly says Ali is a “special” player who can put the ball wher- ever his teammates need, to create goal scoring chances. NOMADES DE MONTMORENCY Ibrahim Chami, defence, midfield Chami’s work ethic is described as “unmatchable” by head coach Francisco Vela. In 2021 Chami was called-up to play for the Lebanon national under-20 team. Vela says Chami has a natural left foot, great range on a shot or long ball, and is a great defender. As captain of the team, he “doesn't hesitate to bring back order,” said Vela. SENECA STING Atif Ali, defence Alji’s accolades stacked up this year, he was named OCAA conference cham- pionship tournament all-star, OCAA east-division all-star, and OCAA east- division player of the year. The Sting’s head coach, Patrice Gheisar, says Ali could be described in one word, “consis- tent.” Ali’s leadership provides an example for Seneca’s young attacking front. Ali’s playing style is composed, he's able to keep consistent possession, and has the “vision to open the game up or keep the ball moving,” says Gheisar. LANGARA FALCONS Takumi Ota, midfield Ota, star of the host team, Langara College, has been named the best player in the Pacific Western Athletic Associa- tion conference this year. Coming from a possession-based game in Japan, Ota adjusted well to the more physical game in Canada, scoring nine goals in the regu- lar season for the Falcons, which ties for first in the conference. Ota is known for his speed and ball control, with ability to control the pace of the game.