© Sports the other press e flashGordon e dcsportseditor@yahoo.ca September 17, 2003 Butt-Kickin as a Wake Men’s Soccer Flash Gordon Sports Editor Seven straight exhibition game victories in the pre-season, where the Douglas Royals even sent the UBC Thunderbirds packing, and then a sudden loss in their opening game to the Capilano Blues. All factors suggest our Royals are a stronger team but “on the day, they (Capilano) were a better team,” says head coach Joe Ormerod. The Blues blanked the Royals 2-0 in what Ormerod described as a “butt-kicking.” It serves as a wake up call letting the confident men’s soccer team know they will not walk through to the soccer national tour- nament in November unscathed. The coaches and players were not happy with the loss, but the team set the game aside and looked forward to their next test. A trip to Malasapina University College, Nanaimo proves to be a long day for any college. It’s at minimum a | hour 35 minute ferry ride out of Horseshoe Bay into Nanaimo. Then waiting for the game to start can wear on the nerves, but our Royals stepped and controlled the game from the get-go. They “moved the ball with authority,” says Ormerod of the Acts p Call way his team took it to Malasapina. Goalkeeper Chris Johannsen had a stellar game in net though the first attempts on goal didn’t even come until the second half of the game. It was the best soccer the team has played yet and showed the teams’ true talent and skill. Leading the way was veteran midfield as Matthew Ormerod who scored both of the Royals’ goals. He is expected to be a strong offensive threat for the team this year—like he was last season when he put in 9 or 10 goals for the Royals. A bye weekend will be used to test the team further with an Alumni game hosted in Queens Park on Saturday, September 13 at 6p.m. All are welcome to cheer on the cur- rent Royals. The week after will be a rematch of the BCCAA provincial championships against the University College of the Cariboo Sun Demons. Ormerod assures that his team is ready and eager for the challenge. It will be a home game at the field in Coquitlam by the Town Centre. Again, fans are welcome and encouraged to attend all home games. Women’s Rugby Dave Pearcy OP Contributor The Douglas Women’s Premier Rugby team opened the season on Saturday with a 5-0 win over last year’s First Division champion Vancouver Meralomas. The Meralomas were playing their first-ever game in the Premier Division and only some excellent goal-line defense in the last few minutes of the match prevented them from gaining at least a tie. Winger Rikkilee Jones provided the New Westminster girls with the only points they would need, breaking two tackles on a 50- metre scoring run late in the Ist half. This year will be a year of change for Douglas, as a num- ber of players, including last year’s Premier Division player of the year Kirstie Smith, are no longer with the team. Preseason injuries were also a factor and the team took to the field with 6 new faces in the line-up, including 17-year- olds Jamie Callard and Agnes Stefek. Callard had the we Submissions can (Douglas Premier Takes Narrow Win Over First Division Champs, Meralomas toughest task, taking over the position of flyhalf that had been occupied by National team members Smith and Kelly McCallum over the previous 2 seasons. She played well in her first top-flight match and her kicking skills gave Douglas excellent field position for most of the day. Eighteen year-old Tanya Leigh also played her first full game and combined with Amber Cummings (a “veteran” at 19) to give Douglas a forceful one-two punch in the cen- tres. The Douglas forwards will have to improve their game however, as they found the going tough against a bigger and stronger Meraloma pack. The Douglas Premier team takes on Nanaimo at Queens Park on Saturday, Sept. 13 in the home opener. The 2nd Division girls play their first match of the season also at Queens Park on Sunday, Sept. 14 at 2p.m. against UBC. / http://www.otherpress.ca Inaugural weekend shows the learning curve Women’s Soccer Flash Gordon Sports Editor In the first weekend of regular season play, the Douglas Women’s Soccer team took some bumps as a rite of passage into the BCCAA league. Saturday, September 6 matched the lady Royals up against a more mature Capilano team. Cap finished first in the league last season and third in the provincial tournament. They are expected to be just as strong with a good core of returning veterans. That's more than can be said for Judd’s group, the Royals, that has 14 rookies on the roster. Seven of those rookies made it into the starting lineup. In the 3-0 deci- sion for their opponents, Judd admitted his girls came out flat and maybe were intimidated going into their first regular season game. “It was a learning experience,” says Judd who hopes the team will gel by play- ing more games together. On Sunday, the team travelled to Nanaimo for a game against Malasapina University College. Judd came away pleased with the 3-1 win. “The nervousness wasn’t there,” he says. Mal will struggle this year under a new head coach but there were positives the team can take away from their victory. Returning Captain and centre midfielder Hilda Simon played strongly, as well as rookie surprise Jane Reynolds played well for our Royals. The September 13, 14 weekend offers up a bye for the girls to heal up some injuries and to prepare for a big weekend. University College of the Fraser Valley has yet to be defeated after their first weekend of play. Douglas matches up against the Cascades of UCFV in two weeks as well as the University College of the Cariboo. The time off will be used to prepare the team with fitness and tactical situation drills. Judd won't look any further ahead than provin- cials. For him it’s nice that the col- lege is hosting the soccer national tournament, but he wants to focus on the more immediate future of the team. Page 21