THE VOICE, THURSDAY, OCT, 2, 2014 EDITOR MIKE HODDER S$) orts : cx eS Girls set bar for new year Women’s team rallies for win over alumni after a disappointing last season By MARY BEACH ketball team began their year with a 61-53 win over the alumni team Saturday, a hopeful start to the upcom- ing season. “We did not have a good year last year...we got into a rut,” said Head Coach Mike Evans. “You lose confi- dence with that, even though you’re trying hard.” Last year’s record was a dis- appointing 6-21, Te Langara Falcons women’s bas- Reqular season “Lea TE dal Falcons forward Marsha Chesshire outmaneuvers the Capilano Blues defence in a 3-0 win last Saturday. Falcons overcome injuries Women’s soccer team picking up the slack after losing four players By SHANNON LYNCH ven with a handful of key players sidelined by injury, the Langara Falcons women’s soccer team is sitting at third place in the Pac- West division standings midway through this season. In fact the women won their second game in a row Sunday, Sep. 28, defeat- ing Quest University 2-1. The previous day, they beat the Capilano University 3-0. “You take four key members out of any team in this league, they’re gonna struggle at times. And for our girls I think we’ve done very, very well to bat- tle through that,” head coach Ryan Birt said. One of the players who had to cut her season short was goalkeeper Meli- na Gomez, who fractured her elbow at the end of preseason. The absence of Gomez made for a shaky start for the Falcons, who lost their first game 2-1 to the Douglas Royals. However, defencemen Katie Inkster who has stepped in as goalie is solid, Birt said. “She’s done very, very, well.” The three other key players that have had to step out due to injury are Tessa Tasaka, Aleisha Seggie and Tejvir Malhi. Birt said the team’s strengths lie in the balance NATALIELONG between keeping PacWest player possession of the of the week Sep. ball for long = 17-21 stretches and at- tacking, which he said could be seen in Saturday’s game. Recently named PacWest athlete of the week Natalie Long said their tough strengthens the Falcons. “We have a very good defensive line,” said Long. “And also we’re a very close team so that definitely reflects on the field.” However, Birt said there is always room for improvement and the team needs to show more patience on the pitch. “Developing that patience is defi- nitely one of the biggest areas that we need to focus on,” he said. “Being pa- tient in our build-up and not being so quick to look forward all the time.” Heading towards the provin- cial championships, Birt is optimistic about the Falcons once health returns to the team. “My feeling is if we get healthy, and we get everybody back, I think we’re as good if not better than anybody in the league.” SHANNON LYNCH photo 66 We’rea very close team and that definitely reflects on the field. NATALIE LONG and Evans went into Saturday’s game with a clear strategy: “Execute everything we’ve learned in the last three weeks get- ting ready for our season. It'll be a good test for us.” Alumni won the DOUGLAS COLLEGE Oct. 318 pm Langara CAMOSUN COLLEGE INov.7 8 pm Langara VANCOUVER ISLAND UNIVERSITY Nov. 83 pm defence and personal bond also tip and took an ‘2794 early lead in the first quarter. “Keeping that de- fensive intensity up” was key, said shooting guard Carly Sangha. “They’re very competitive and they know the systems.” By the end of the first quarter the Falcons took the lead, and control of the game. Alumni managed to score just four points the entire second quarter and could not catch the Falcons the rest of the game. Mid-game, Alumni trailed by 20 points. They tried to mount a rally in the fourth quarter, but the Falcons managed to keep the defensive pres- sure on and take the win. “Our defense was very good,” Evans said. “A lot of energy, a lot of enthusi- asm, and a lot of effort. It was a very good game.” KWANTLEN COLLEGE INov. 14 8pm Langara Reigning champs looking better than ever CHARLOTTE DREWETT photo Martin Appiah makes a block against a former Falcon at a pre-season alumni game Sept. 27. The Langara Falcons are coming off a national championship year and showed why against a team of former players BY CHARLOTTE DREWETT cellent shape coming out of pre- season training camp, the best that head coach Paul Eberhardt said he’s ever seen. The Falcons fast-paced playing style shone through during their first game of the season last Saturday. The exhibition game versus Langara alumni started off slow for the Falcons, scoring only 28 points in the first half, which Eberhardt says is “extremely low.” They came out strong in the second half, narrowing the alumni’s lead to one point after the third quarter and Te: men’s basketball team is in ex- dominating the fourth quarter, scoring 34 points to win the game 90-77. Alumni Randy Nohr, member of the 1997-1998 and 1998-1999 national cham- pionship winning teams, said the Fal- cons showed their youth in the second half. “They play really hard, they play re- ally fast and they shoot the ball ex- tremely well,” Nohr said. “I can see how they were successful last year and how they'll be successful again this year.” The team is coming off a national championship-winning season in 2013- 2014. Eberhardt attributes the success to the squad’s fast-paced running game that forces teams to keep up. Eberhardt will be pushing them to match last year’s game-winning pace and superior physical fitness. “Last year we lead the country in scoring, we averaged almost 100 points a game,” Eberhardt said. “It’s all about the tempo the games played at... it has to be fast.” Eberhardt recruited five men to join 10 returning members af- ter the loss of key players, such as All- Canadien Brody Greig. The team will be relying on veteran players will keep the rookies fo- cused. Fifth year veteran and team captain, Garrett —_ Ling- Lee, says last year’s team mentality of “working togeth- er on the court, practicing really hard every day {and] communi- cating really well with each other,” will be important this season. The Falcons will open the season facing the Douglas College Royals on Friday, October 31 for an 8 p.m. home game. Camson College Chargers on Nov. 7. PAUL EBERHARDT Langara Falcons head coach