Holland College teams host openers Saturday
Rams visit Terry Fox Sports Complex
The Holland Hurricanes will look to start their 2018 Atlantic Collegiate Athletic Association (ACAA) soccer seasons on a high note. The Holland College teams will host the Dalhousie AC Rams at the Terry Fox Sports Complex in Cornwall on Saturday. Sunday, the Hurricanes travel to Moncton, N.B., to clash with the Crandall Chargers. Game times on both days are 2 p.m. for the women and 4 p.m. for the men. With both teams playing 12game schedules, there isn’t much time to work out the growing pains that come along with incorporating new players. Eberechi Okwuwolu, a returning fullback for the men’s Hurricanes, realizes the team needs to focus on one game at a time and not look ahead to Nov. 6, when the ’Canes host the Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) national championship in Cornwall. “Training has been very intense, and the competition level is high between the entire roster as we battle for playing time,” said Okwuwolu. “We have players on this year’s roster from Japan, Africa, Europe and Canada, so we’re still developing chemistry. “To be successful this weekend we will need to take our hard work from training and implement it into actual games.” Hurricanes head coach Jonathan Vos has been stressing the importance of preparation. “Leading up to the home opener we try and make sure the players are clear on their roles and responsibilities during the game,” said Vos.
Women
The Holland College women’s team will look to bounce back after an underwhelming 2017 campaign. Returnee Sabrina Molnar finished last season in the top 10 for goals and points in the ACAA. “We’ve had a strong camp and displayed a lot of potential for the coming season,” said Molnar. “We’re excited to get started with this weekend’s games.” Hurricanes head coach Kris McKinnon has liked what he’s seen on the field during training camp. “The team is looking forward to starting the season,” said MacKinnon. “We’ve had two strong weeks of training and preparation; we’re looking forward to finally getting into game situations and see how the team responds.” The Hurricanes return home to host back-to-back games against the Mount Saint Vincent University Mystics on Sept. 15, and the UKC Blue Devils on Sept. 16.