‘K.B.’ leads rookie charge on soccer pitch for U of S
Midfielder Kuhle Bekwayo didn’t play much until family moved here in 2009
He simply goes by K.B.
The nickname has stuck ever since Kuhle Bekwayo and his family moved to Saskatoon in 2009 from South Africa.
“Not too many people could pronounce my first name,” mused Bekwayo, a midfielder on the University of Saskatchewan Huskies who’ll host the University of Victoria Vikes in Canada West men’s soccer playoff action Saturday night (7:30 p.m.) at Griffiths Stadium in Nutrien Park on the U of S Campus.
Bekwayo — whose older brother, Luigi, also played soccer for the Huskies — has already made a name for himself as a rookie on the Saskatchewan squad.
He was named to the Canada West all-rookie team this week.
“I’m happy with K.B.,.” said U of S Huskies head coach Bryce Chapman.
“He did exceptionally well in the SK Series, which prepared him well for the transition from high school to the university season.
“Over the course of the season, he’s accepted the different challenges he’s been presented. He’s grown as a player and a person and we’re excited to see him on the field Saturday.”
The future looks bright for K.B. and the rest of the Huskies with an impressive crop of rookies — Bekwayo, Ajanai (Ash) Fountaine, Fraser Mcleod and goalkeeper Marcus Baxter — all making an impact as first-year U Sport players.
“It’s probably one of our strongest groups,” said Chapman. “They still have to put together some of the results that our past groups have put together, especially that 2014 group, but they’re definitely a young group that’s come in and they’ve made the transition to school and the field a lot easier than some players in the past and they’ve played probably the most significant minutes and roles that we’ve put a young group in place. To see four first-years start, pretty much every game this season, is pretty exciting for the future.
“It’s a very exciting group for short-term and long-term development.”
Bekwayo, Fountaine and Mcleod all played big minutes in the SK Series against pro squads from Calgary, Vancouver and Toronto.
“All three of those guys are extremely exciting,” Chapman added.
Bekwayo said he didn’t play a ton of soccer as a youth in South Africa.
That really picked up when he moved to Saskatoon when he was eight years old.
Look at him now.
“K.B. is playing big minutes in a big position on the field,” noted Chapman.
“He’s playing centre midfield, surrounded by Nikky (Nik Baikas), Gabby (Gabriel Buatois) and Marcello (Gonzalez), who are veteran players. He’s not Nikki, he’s not Marcello and he’s not Gabby, but he’s a combination of a lot. He likes to dribble. He likes to take players on. He’s well rounded but he’s still got to learn the game, defensively.
“He’s a very smooth player. He can get himself out of trouble quite nicely. He adapts very quickly. He’s very smart and he’s an exciting player for people to come watch,” Chapman added.
Bekwayo recorded three goals on 21 shots during the regular season in his rookie campaign.
“It’s a really exciting experience,” he said.
“I have a lot to learn from the older guys, the fifth-years. There’s just a lot of pieces to bring in as a first year. I’ve learned a lot from each of them, just how a season can go up here and down there.
“It’s been great learning.” Bekwayo also learned by watching his brother Luigi work through the Huskie ranks. He believes this pack of Dogs has a great chance in the playoffs.
“We have a great group of guys, a lot of guys who are hungry for that same goal,” he said. “We’re all determined. We’re all putting in the work. We’re all focused.”
While Bekwayo sat out the final game of the regular season due to an accumulation of yellow cards and a chance for some extra rest, he’s back in Saturday as one of the pups to watch.
“We’re just called the rooks,” said Bekwayo, “but we push each other a lot, so there’s a lot of us who can challenge each other in training where we kind of see where we need to be at. We make sure we stay accountable for our actions, roles on the team. We’re a good class of rookies.”
He’s grown as a player and a person and we’re excited to see him on the field Saturday.