This article was originally published in the Sept. 18 print issue.
The men’s soccer team kicked off their season the first weekend of September with wins over the King’s University Eagles and Portage College Voyageurs, starting the year with a 2-0 lead.
The Ooks got on the board early in both games, scoring the first goal both times. NAIT battled with the Eagles throughout the second half, but the blue and gold prevailed in the end. Forward Markus Sperling found the back of the net twice in extra time for the team’s first win of the year.
Their offensive success carried over against Portage College on Sept. 8. The Ooks scored two in the first half and never looked back, adding another goal in the second to shut out the Voyageurs 3-0.
Head Coach Jeff Paulus was “delighted” by his team’s effort as they wrapped up their first weekend of action at the top of the standings.
“We had a great start [against the King’s University] and had a fantastic first half,” Paulus said. “We allowed King’s to stay in it by being up 1-0, and then they came on in the second half.” Sperling’s two last minute goals made the victory “an emotional win.”
The early wins are even more important considering how the team’s 2023 campaign ended. The team went 8-2-2, finished second in the division and had two of the conference’s top 10 scorers. Despite their strong start, the Ooks were bested by the Huskies when it mattered, and finished the season without the gold for the fourth consecutive season.
The season wasn’t all bad; Paulus called the loss a “learning opportunity.” Entering the 2024/25 season, the Head Coach is optimistic about his club’s chances at redemption.
“We feel that the squad depth this year is very deep, probably the deepest we’ve seen in our school in years,” said Paulus.
“That being said, we have 10 first-year players, but their technical levels are very high … we think we will be a team that will be quite difficult to break down.”
The team recruited 15 new players, and Paulus called the squad “the deepest [they’ve] seen in our school in years.” Some of the new players, pictured above, include (L-R): Dejuan Cassie, a defensive player from W.P Wagner; Parys Ona MacArthur, one of two new goalkeepers; and midfielder Matthew Herbut.
The team lost several players to graduation, including All-Conference Defensive Back Javier Cassie. While losing an important player like Cassie can be difficult, Paulus is confident the team can step up in his absence.
“We’ve been fortunate to recruit three defenders who are all able to start at the Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference (ACAC) level,” explained Paulus. “So while we can’t replace [Cassie], what we have done is really strengthen the back line with these young players.”
“I think overall we’re excited with this new back line.”
Just 11 players will return from last season—including reigning ACAC Player of the Year Peter Jones—as the 2023 silver medalists reload for another season with a chance to break their four-year championship drought.
While the season is young, the expectation for the Ooks entering the 2024/25 season is clear: reclaim their lost top spot and former glory.
“We have an expectation to be in the [ACAC] final … that is our goal every year: to get to nationals,” Paulus said. “Because we feel every year that we are at least one of the top teams in the conference.”
“Back when I first coached here [at NAIT], there were only a couple of schools that really came into a season with an opportunity to win it, and now it’s everybody.”
Those first two wins will play in the team’s favour as the short 12-game soccer schedule ramps up over the coming weeks. The club intends to use the early lead in the standings to its advantage as they start the quest for banner number 12 in 2024.
“Being at the top of the table means that at this point, right from the get-go, everybody else has to chase us, and that’s a nice place to be,” Paulus said. “We’re in the position now where teams are looking at us thinking, ‘Well, we can’t fall too far behind.’”
“If we can win against Concordia, that sets us up well going forward.”
