On September 18th at 2:00pm, the women's soccer team officially opens up the 2010-2011 Royals Varsity Season. The men's soccer team is not far behind as they take the field at 4:00pm. Both teams will travel to Niagara College in the hopes of grabbing the first win for the Redeemer Royals in the new year.

 

The OCAA Soccer Schedule takes on a new format for 2010. Gone are the 4 divisions and now teams will compete in 1 of 2 divisions, the East or the West. Being in the West division, the Royals will play single games against Humber, Fanshawe, Conestoga, Sheridan, Lambton, St. Clair, Niagara, and Mohawk. The top 2 teams will get a bye while spots 3-6 will battle it out in a divisional qualifying game. Once settled, there will be 4 teams left from the East and 4 teams left from the West. Teams will then cross over into the other division (West vs East) with the #1 seeds facing the #4 seeds and the #2 seeds facing the #3 seeds. The winners advance to the 4 team OCAA Provincial Championships.

 

With students arriving Labour Day weekend, plans and tryouts are already in full swing. Both men's and women's soccer teams will open up with exhibition games against Mohawk (the men having already played ) and Centennial College. The men's team will also face the University of Ottawa on Saturday September 11th at 3:00pm at Costco Field. Both of the men's and women's soccer coaching staffs remain relatively unchanged from the indoor season last winter. The only change being on the men's side with the addition of assistant coach Tim Wildeboer. Tom Sauder returns as the head coach for the men's team while Michael Dykhouse and Peter Reid return as co-head coaches for the women's side. Assistant coach Carly Moore will round out the women's coaching staff.

 

The women's team will open the 2010 season with relatively the same side as 2009. The biggest hole to fill for the Lady Royals comes with the loss of former OCAA Rookie of the Year and 2009 Redeemer Athlete of the Year Phoebe Mitton.  The Lady Royals will look to replace Mitton up front with the addition of striker Carly DeWeerd. DeWeerd joined the Royals this past winter for the indoor season when she transfered from Faulkner University in Alabama where she played for the Faulkner Eagles. With the likes of veteran Kendall Straatsma at the back, 3rd year Kristi Van Duyvendyk in the middle, Shawn Druif returning in net, and a handful of 1st year players, the Royals will be show depth all over the field and will be poised to compete for a playoff spot and a potential trip to the OCAA Championships.

 

The men's side will see many new faces for the upcoming season. Not returning for the Royals for 2010 are a number of key players including Joel VanAndel, Daron Ruggi, Jesse Harrison, Rich Brouwer, and Darren Hoogendoorn, all of which will need to be replaced. The good news for the men's team is that a record number of soccer players will be attending the Labour Day Weekend Mini-Camp and will all be looking to grab their spot as the roster is filled out. After an injury kept him out for most of the 2009 outdoor season, 2nd year striker Axel Hiemstra will look to stay healthy and make a big impact for the Royals. Veteran midfielders Jeremy Stevens and Taylor Prins will lead the team and provide stability across the field. 2nd year Dirk VanSolen will join the Royals for the outdoor season as well. VanSolen impressed during the 2009 indoor season and will be relied on to be an impact player for the upcoming outdoor season. The men's team will likely be rebuilding in many areas but don't count them out to compete for a 2010 playoff spot.

 

The following is the Royals Soccer Exhibition Schedule:

 

Saturday August 28th, 3:00pm vs Mohawk College at Costco Field  Royals 2 Mohawk 4

Saturday September 11th, 3:00pm vs University of Ottawa at Costco Field

 

Wednesday September 8th, 5:00pm vs Mohawk College at Costco Field

Friday September 10th, 5:00pm vs Centennial College at Centennial College Field

 

Next up: Cross Country Season Preview