Douglas College Royals Begin 2023-24 Soccer Season
Another season of PACWEST soccer is about to begin, with the Douglas College Royals looking to take back the conference titles in both the men's and women's divisions from VIU.
On the women's side, the team will be keen to regain the PACWEST crown. With the addition of several key new players in Pak Tung Tsang, Isabelle Dobbins, Abby Clunas, and Anna Klaver-Valdez, this could be the year they finally get to win PACWEST.
"Our expectations are to finish higher than we did the last two seasons" said Chris Laxton, head coach of the women's soccer team. "We believe the team is stronger and deeper than last year. The group is as cohesive as ever but has set and maintained a much higher level of competition in training."
Along with returning seniors Kya Cleto and Alicia Skirzyk, the Royals will be boosted by the return of Christine Singh, who was tied for top goal scorer in the PACWEST with six goals in 12 games and a summer of competing internationally for the Fijian U-23 national team. Tsang also competed internationally for Hong Kong on their U-23 team.
For the men's team, last year was an aberration after winning the previous two PACWEST titles. Always a competitive team, head coach Robby Toor is confident in this year's squad.
"Our goal is to always compete for a National Championship" explained Toor. "We feel we have the right mix of players to get back to the Championships and compete for a CCAA title."
There's reasons to be optimistic as returning players such as former PACWEST Championship Player of the Tournament Burhan Waisey and U-23 Philippines international Justin Pena plus newcomers Dominik Hajdecki, Jake Krznaric, Ramin Sultani, Joel Badger, and Mateen Sayami form the nucleus of a strong squad.
Both teams travel to face Langara on September 9th and for our complete schedule, visit our website. All games will be broadcasted on pacwest.tv and all home games will be at Cunnings Field at the Town Centre Park complex. Make sure to follow us on Instagram and X (Twitter) for up-to-date information.
Key Dates
- First home game September 10th vs. VIU
- Final home game October 22nd vs. VIU
- PACWEST Championship starts October 28th
- Men's CCAA Championship starts November 8th at St. Clair College (ON)
- Women's CCAA Championship starts November 8th at Holland College (PEI)
