> Royals men’s soccer face daunting situation Davie Wong Sports Editor he coming week of PACWEST soccer action will have some very real significance for the Douglas College Royals men’s soccer team. At the moment, the team sits at fourth place in the PACWEST with a record of 1-3-2. Trailing them by two points are the Langara Falcons. In the coming week, the Royals will play the Falcons in a double header. The winner of this double header will be favourites for the playoff spot come the end of the season. With both the Royals and the Falcons having bad seasons, this one is an odd one. It’s not as if both teams have bad rosters; well, at least the Royals don't. For the most part, the Royals have found themselves with a good roster playing poorly. The team has talent, they’ve just underperformed. In particular, the Royals’ offence has been abysmal. They have yet to find a go-to forward to play around. Race Williams has had a tough season, and scoring has been a forethought for him. In fact, there hasn't really been anyone to highlight in terms of offence, that’s how scattered it is. But that has also been a benefit for the Royals. It either means that they are threatening from multiple angles, or that their offence is sporadic and unreliable. In terms of defence, the Royals have something going for them there. Photo by Falacci Johnston Captain Nowaf Binsaleh has donea fine job or organizing and leading the backline for the Royals, and should be fine when they go up against the Falcons. They should keep the Falcons off the board. It’s just about where the offence is going to come from. On the other side, the Falcons aren’t doing too much better. They really haven't got anything going for them this year. Offensively the team has been bad. They've been shut out four times this season so far. Defensively, it’s been worse. They team has yet to have a game where they allow three or less goals. The Langara Falcons have been in an awful state this year. Yet the Royals may still lose to them. The Falcons will be coming into the game against the Royals hot off a win. Collapse Photo by Falacci Johnston Meanwhile, the Royals will be trying to bounce back after their loss to Capilano. Making a prediction as to who will win is a bit difficult. Instead, let’s figure out what happens in all the results. If the Royals lose both games or lose and draw, the Falcons will have four or one point(s) on them, and they stand a good chance of keeping the Royals out of the playoffs. If they draw both games, or win and draw, the Royals will still be ina precarious spot in the standings, but will have their own fate left in their hands. If they win both games, the Royals will almost uncertainly knock the Falcons out of playoff contention. No matter the result, this week matters for the Royals. Possibly the most of them all. > Royals men’s soccer lose to 10-man Blues Davie Wong Sports Editor eek four of PACWEST soccer brought a unique challenge for the Royals. Waiting for them were the Capilano Blues, hungry to get even with the Royals after a 2-1 loss to them earlier in the month. The Royals had all week to prepare for the Blues, while the Blues had to choose between the Royals or VIU. Judging from the level of play that came from the Blues, they chose to prepare for the Royals. Going into the game, it’s unknown whether the game plan from the Blues was to go hard, or to be reckless. Either way, it showed up. The Blues went hard into tackles, and the referee was quick to reprimand them for it. The Blues accumulated eight fouls in the first 45 minutes of play. In the first 15 minutes, they had already drawn two yellow cards, and had themselves a third by halftime. The reckless Blues allowed the Royals to have quite a few opportunities to crack the scoreboard, but Blue’s goalkeeper Hudson Nelles was a brick wall. Despite five corner kicks and more free kicks than this reporter could count, the Royals could not solve Hudson. Frustrated, the Royals play took a turn for the worse in the second half. While the Blues fouling remained persistent, the Royals joined them for a total of 15 fouls in the second half. The score sheet was finally opened when Keith Jackson slammed home his 7th of the season to give the Blues the lead. In a twist of irony, Jackson would earn his second booking and an automatic red after an intentional delay of game just minutes later, leaving his team with 10 men. With a man advantage for twenty minutes, the Royals pushed up looking for the game equalizer and game winner. They would find neither, as the attack could not solve the Blues’ backline. All in all, it was hard not to call this a collapse... at least offensively. The Royals were given every opportunity to win—in fact, the referee was probably generous in his calls—but the Royals couldn't get it done on the scoreboard, and they fell to the Blues, 1-0. The loss leaves them in a precarious position in the standings. They sit at 1-3-2 with five points, which is good enough for fourth. However, the team is trailed by a Langara team that has seemingly found its wheels. The pressure is on in the PACWEST, that’s for sure.