Loyalist Varsity sports update

By Dan Cannataro

Heading into October here are the latest updates about the sports programs at Loyalist.

Men’s Basketball

The Loyalist men’s basketball team’s roster has a different look going into the 2011-2012 campaign.

They don’t hit the hardwood until October 30 as they start the season against the Centennial Colts. Last year they evened up the season series at one. Last year the Lancers were introduced to not only a new coaching staff but also a new system put into place by Coach Rich Whitfield and company.

“Last summer Coach Whitfield didn’t really have enough time to recruit, so it would be unfair to judge him on producing his own talent,” said Jim Buck the manager of athletics and campus recreation.

Whitfield has had time now to put his offensive and defensive system in place.

“The overall look of the team at this time is considerably improved and Rich definitely has expectations for the playoffs or provincials for that matter going into this season,” said Buck.

There are many returning experienced players this year. Forward, Calvin Chevannes and guards, Damone Donaldson, Patrick Kalala and Lancer leading scorer Matt Miller are all returning.

They looked good in a controlled scrimmage against a decent basketball program at Western University. Lancers also battled the Redeemer Royals and the Fleming Knights. They left both games with victories.

Coach Whitfield has added some potentially good rookies and has a lot more depth this year.

Women’s Basketball

The women’s basketball team also kicks off the regular season against the Centennial Colts.

The women had a solid season last year as they finished with a 10-6 win/loss record. Freshmen Jenni Thompson was the leading scorer. Thompson averaged just less than 15 points per game and is the Lancers most proficient shooter.

“Jenni is the most proficient shooter on the team and probably will lead our team in scoring but to be successful ball team we need a balanced scoring attack,” said Buck.

Samantha Goff has to be a centrepiece of the offence if the Lady Lancers want to improve on their fourth place standings in the East Region. Goff led the team in rebounding last season and the coaches have been working on her to better her offensive game.

“Its tough to rely on one player. Goff who’s played the last several years and is our best re-bounder, our staff is trying to help on her post game under the basket,” said Buck.

Martine Gauvin and Haley Sisler are both quick guards and can both go out and score in transition. Gauvin shot nearly 28% and Sisler shot 31% from three point land that shows they have the ability to take some pressure off of the now sophomore Thompson. Lancers look to build on a decent year but their eyes are on advancing to the provincials this fall.

Women’s Soccer

The women’s soccer team at Loyalist is a lot better than their 1-win-2 loss-3-tie overall record shows,” Jim Buck said.

“I think we are better, league is really tough and we are the smallest school in the Eastern Conference so our soccer program is up against it a lot of the time.”

The club has had some injuries and is really beaten up, they tied against Algonquin which has one of the best soccer programs in all of the country.

The women’s club is coming off its first win on the road since the 2005 season, defeating the Cambrian Golden Shields 2-0 a few games ago.

The leading scorer on the women’s team is Tangye Seymour. She has tallied three goals in six games.

“The overall play is better and there are a number of rookies so they can come back next season,” said Buck.

The Loyalist soccer team has two tough games left and if they steal some points they can sneak into playoff contention. Post-season action hasn’t happened in seven season for the Lancers.

Men’s Rugby

The men’s rugby season has already got underway and they’ve moved up a division so it might be a little tougher.

They started off the season on a winning note but then dropped their next two games badly.

“Had a tough loss against Trent University last week and a lost a few key players to injuries, the good thing is we haven’t really got blown out yet,” Buck said.

Another aspect is the age of many of the players. Buck said maturity in the sport of rugby is one of the most important attributes in a player.

“I think where it’s tough is there is a lot of guys who are men in this league, so if you’re coming out of high-school at 17 or 18 years of age physically not mature as a 22-23-year-old

The challenge the club faces this campaign is the move up to Division 2. They got moved up a level and lost a lot of their veterans from the championship team.

“If you look at last years championship team, almost everyone that was an impact player on that team is gone,” said Buck.

Long-time head coach Larry Cook stepped down as well.

The men’s rugby program still has a good shot at advancing to the post-season.

Women’s Rugby

The girl’s rugby program is pretty much in the same situation with injuries and many of their experienced players have left or graduated.

“One problem that has crept its head into this season thus far is the lack of bodies that came out for the program come the 2012-2013 season,” said Buck.

Just like the men’s rugby team the lack of experience plays a role. They are 1-2 on the season, however the last couple of efforts were tough for two different reasons. The first loss on the schedule against St. Lawrence (Kingston), the club played well and just couldn’t break the scoreboard as they fell 15-0. The second loss was a little different. They were entirely outplayed by Algonquin

“They got trounced by Algonquin but you should know they are the class of the Conference and have been for many years,” said Buck.

“With the exception of last game they’ve had some good contests and we’ll see where they can go from there,” said Buck.

Men’s Volleyball

The men’s volleyball team lost several players to graduation who have been on the team for five years.

“It wasn’t a great recruiting year for the college for volleyball, so there is not a whole lot of depth on the team,” said Buck.

“The head coach of the team, Dave Templar and the rest of the coaching staff are excellent coaches and they know the game really well,” said player Curtis Bucking.

They lost in exhibition recently to Fleming College.

“Losing to a team like Fleming was a little disheartening because that’s a team we probably haven’t lost to in about six years,” said Buck.

The depth and talent certainly isn’t there to stay in the upper class of the league but there is enough talent to make the playoffs possibly, Buck added.

The team could have some success if they’re able to steal some wins they’re not supposed to. But with such a young team what you see on the court now, It’ll be an entirely different product come December.

Women’s Volleyball

The women’s volleyball team is set to take off this upcoming campaign. Last year they were more competitive and the program will look to build on a 12-8 fifth place finish.

There were a few seniors who are scarce this year but there is plenty of leadership left on the team. Jenny Richardson, who had a great rookie season, should be much improved with a season now under her belt.

Other returning players with more experience are Leanne Jeffs and Kirsten Talsma. Talsma worked hard all summer and looks to be in tremendous shape for the start of the new season

The recruiting went well and there is much more depth on the team now, said Buck.

“Conditioning and depth could be our biggest positive as many of the returning players worked their tail off all summer to get in game shape,” he said.

Coaches like the make-up and leadership this year compared to last year already. Buck added.

The Lancers looked impressive against Fleming and shown they could be the class of the region this campaign if everything works out to expected.