Royals head into weekend rejuvenated as they visit Mariners, host Falcons

The Douglas Royals men's soccer team will continue their quest to defend their PACWEST title this weekend by looking to tally up some points and gain some ground against conference contenders. They will visit the VIU Mariners this Saturday (Sept. 25) at Merle Logan Field and host the Langara Falcons in their second head-to-head matchup of the season on Sunday (Sept. 26) at Cunnings Field.

Although the Royals men fell to the Langara Falcons 2-1 and Capilano Blues 4-3 over the opening weekend, they did by no means fail to put up a fight. The Royals scored all 4 of their goals over the two matches in the second half and competed all the way until the final whistle. First-year international recruit Ryosuke Sudo scored in the 90^th minute to prevent a shutout against the Falcons on Saturday. Sunday against the Blues, Douglas tallied 3 goals in 5 minutes late in extra time to momentarily stun Capilano in their effort to come back from a tough 4-0 deficit.

As defending PACWEST champions, the Royals men have what it takes to bounce back and create momentum this upcoming weekend against the Mariners (whom they defeated to acquire the conference title in 2019) and Falcons.

Against VIU:

• The Royals last played the Mariners in the 2019-20 PACWEST championship game to take the trophy and banner in a close 1-0 game.
• They enter Saturday's matchup focused on obtaining their first win of the season and must use their offensive strengths to create as many scoring chances as possible and shut down the Mariners with their defense.
• VIU comes into the game Saturday with a 1-0-0 record after a 2-1 win against the Falcons over the weekend that saw them obtaining 3 points.

 Against Langara:

• The Royals will look to even their record against the Falcons on Sunday at home. It is important the team utilizes the speed and skill they possess to start the game strong early.
• The Falcons enter the game with a 1-1-0 record after a win against the Royals at home 2-1 last Saturday and finished their weekend with a 2-1 loss against the Mariners.

This upcoming weekend will be a great chance for the Royals men to come in rejuvenated and tally up as many possible points to try and enter the top of the PACWEST standings. Watch them play the VIU Mariners on Saturday (Sept. 25) at 3:00pm and the Langara Falcons Sunday (Sept. 26) at 2:30pm on Cunnings Field.