Payne, Hall boot way to all-star status
Coming off consecutive Canada West conference all-star awards, UNBC Timberwolves defender Gordon Hall set his own bar even higher in his final season playing U Sports soccer.
Denied his wish to play in the playoffs with the T-wolves for a second-straight season when the T-wolves finished an agonizing fifth in the Pacific Division standings, Hall’s presence in the league as a dominant centre fullback did not go unnoticed.
On Wednesday Hall was named to the Canada West first all-star team, becoming the first UNBC athlete ever to make the conference first team, while women’s team forward Paige Payne was selected to the Canada West second all-star team – another first for UNBC.
Hall, a six-foot-one native of Chilliwack, built a reputation in his five years with the T-wolves as one of the toughest backliners in the league and this year was no exception. He played in all 15 games and picked up one assist and seven of the 10 shots he took were on goal. As a defensive specialist, Hall’s stats don’t tell the tale of how many opposition scoring chances he scuttled and how valuable he was to the T-wolves’ bottom line.
“Gordon is a fantastic leader and he just comes across as a true professional,” said T-wolves women’s team head coach Neil Sedgwick. “He understands his responsibilities to the team and goes out there and makes sure those things are taken care of. He’s tough as a central defender but at the same time he can be a smooth attacking player.
“Steve (men’s team head coach Simonson) gives him other responsibilities and he’s always able to fill those, both on defence and attack. It just shows what a professional attitude he has. He’s tough, he’s fast, he’s strong, he has all the tools.”
Payne played in all 14 regular season games and set new T-wolves single-season records for goals (eight) and points (12). Her goal total was just one shy of the T-wolves’ entire team output for the previous season. In the first round of playoffs she scored in regulation time and also found the net in the shootout to help UNBC defeat Manitoba 2-1 on penalty kicks last Friday. Payne had UNBC’s goal Sunday in a 3-1 quarterfinal loss to UBC, which ended their season.
“She had a fantastic year, she became a player that contributed in every game in one way or another,” said Sedgwick. “The opposition showed her respect in the coaches’ comments about her play and the way the opposition began to defend her. They didn’t give her much space but she was able to find spaces or create space to make things happen.
“Paige is a good player who makes good decisions and she’ll continue to challenge the top defenders. She will say she doesn’t do anything alone and as she has improved the team has improved and that’s provided her more service. But there’s been a couple of goals this year that she’s created single-handedly.”
The five-foot-four native of Kitimat had one goal and one assist in her previous two Canada West seasons since joining the T-wolves in 2016. She’s the first UNBC female soccer player to be picked an all star in the seven seasons the T-wolves have competed in the league.
“I’m incredibly excited for her, it shows all the focus and work she’s put in over the years has paid off with some recognition from the coaches in Canada West,” said Sedgwick, who first saw Payne when she auditioned the year after she played in Prince George as a Grade 11 student.
“Some people knew about her and then she came for a visit when I first took the position and I was able to see her play and I thought she had some very special qualities, so we offered her a spot on the team.”