(Y What's in a name? ( Tears bring tears (¥ Royals men’s soccer lose to 10-man Blues And more! forthanksgi U tsome Falc on Ss? > > Royals WSOC prep to take on Langara Falcons Davie Wong Sports Editor y the title you probably know what’s coming. I’m going to roast the Falcons... kind of. Week five of PACWEST soccer is the famed Thanksgiving derby between the Douglas College Royals and Langara Falcons. Though last year the Falcons were flying high and mighty, this year, the Royals are the ones on top. Coming into the weekend, the Royals sit atop the PRCWEST conference with a record of 4-2-1, and 13 points. Langara is third with a record of 1-1-5 and eight points. Big difference. The catch? The Falcons’ first and only win was against the Royals last Wednesday night. There will be some added animosity this year as head coach Rae Pelat returns to face her former team. The two teams will face off in back- to-back games this weekend. The key for the Royals will be their offence. After it stalled against the Falcons last time, due to some very good plays by Sydney Bell, the Royals will be looking for a repeat performance of their 4-1 thrashing of the Capilano Blues. As always, Mikayla Hamilton will be looked to as the offensive sparkplug. The speedy Hamilton has made all the difference for the Royals this year, only scoring three goals but having a huge presence and assisting her team offensively all over the field. An x-factor for the team this year has been Martina Pettenon. The young midfielder has operated in the number 10 role this year (attacking centre-mid for those unfamiliar with soccer jargon), taking over the role left by the injured Andrea What's In a name? > Petition circulates to change SFU’s team name Jillian McMullen Staff Writer There has been an online petition circulating recently among staff and students across the SFU campus. The petition started with Holly Andersen, a philosophy professor at the school, who is aiming to change the school’s sports team name from the “SFU Clan” to something less “offensive.” In the Change.org petition, Andersen states “clan” sounds the same whether spelled with a “c” or a “k”, and she claims this phonetic similarity cites, albeit unintentionally, a dark moment in history. “This is not a history we can just wish away by saying, ‘but that’s not what WE mean by it!’ We don’t get to decide all by ourselves what words mean,” the petition reads. “SFU Clan” is meant to honour the man for whom the school is named after and his Scottish heritage. A “clan” is a group of people who unite together under actual, and sometimes symbolic, lineage. However, the petition argues that because SFU is the only Canadian school in the NCAA and often competes in the US, the school must recognize that the word connotes the country’s history with the KKK, especially in light of the recent protests and counter-protests in Charlottesville, Virginia. “We disrespect our competitors, especially, but not only Black student athletes, by forcing them to play against a team named the ‘Clan,” Andersen writes in the petition. As of the writing of this article, the petition has over 400 signatures. So, what does this kind of logic mean for Douglas athletes and the Royals? According to New West’s tourism website, the city received its nickname—the Royal City—from being named after Queen Victoria’s favourite place in London, Westminster. And this is supposed to have inspired the name for our sports team. While the Douglas College team name is the “Royals,” any member of the Royals is said to be part of the “Pride.” Similar to the meaning behind “SFU Clan,” this is meant to create a feeling of family between athletes. The Royals namesake is obviously less problematic than SFU’s but definitely alludes to a colonial past. Canada has its own political debates taking place, so the question remains: Whether Canadian athletics should be subject to the American political climate, or not. While this is a difficult question to definitively answer, it is evident from the more figurative meanings behind the team names, sports in post-secondary are not meant to be divisive but are rather meant to create a sense of community between students. i ving \ 1 lf EC Saw 2 How £ ky Perrotta. She’s really come onto her own this year adapting well to PRCWEST soccer. When involved she’s a huge difference-maker. Getting her involved has been a bit trickier. In the midfield, Taylor Wettig and Michelle Wessa have been unspoken heroes for the team. Taylor in particular doesn’t get too much attention, but like the ideal midfielder, she’s there when she needs to be and applies a huge amount of pressure off the ball with her smart positioning and play. Wessa on the other hand has been a defensive workhorse. There’s no header or tackle that she’s not contesting in the midfield. She is the rock of the Royals, and the team will be looking for her to close out the Langara offence. Defensively, the big question mark is on who will be in between the pipes. With Alexa Gazzola rumoured to be coming back from injury, will she get Photo by Davie Wong the start right away? Or will Nicole Scott play the first game to ease Gazzola back into the team? Gazzola is easily the better of the two keepers, but Scott has earned her fair share of play time, looking strong but not amazing in net for the Royals in Gazzola’s absence. On Langara’s side, the team will need to watch out for Giulia Repole, who’s been on fire as of late. Sydney Bell will also prove a challenge to overcome, but honestly, there shouldn't be a keeper that the Royals can’t solve. The Royals should be coming away with at least 4-6 points this week. While Langara have been mediocre, they haven't been good. Their recent loss to the Quest Kermodes does nothing to convince spectators otherwise. But the Royals should be careful still. A cooked bird can still burn if mishandled. WOMEN'S SOCCER INSTITUTION CONF PTS DOUGLAS 4-2-1 13 VIU 2-2-4 10 LANGARA 1-1-5 8 CAPILANO 1-1-4 7 QUEST 1-3-2 5 MEN'S SOCCER INSTITUTION CONF PTS VIU 6-1-1 19 CAPILANO 4-2 12 QUEST 2-3-1 7 DOUGLAS 1-3-2 5 LANGARA 1-5 3