Jefferson Hagen / MacEwan Athletics
EDMONTON – Little did he know it at the time, but when MacEwan Griffins men's soccer head coach Adam Loga brought Comox, B.C. product Liam Creek in for a campus visit, he was about to be the beneficiary of a sweet two-for-one deal.
Creek said he had a good friend who was also looking for a U SPORTS landing spot.
So, goalkeeper Hans Haagerup jumped on a plane for the Griffins' spring ID camp in April and the rest is history.
Loga announced Wednesday that the two Comox pals will join the Griffins for the 2018 Canada West season, adding solid talent to a young roster aiming to catch a playoff spot.
"Liam reached out and sent a video and we liked what we saw," said Loga. "He had a good resume. He came on a visit and everything went well. Through dialogue with Liam, he told me he had a friend who's a goalkeeper and we needed a goalkeeper. Hans came to our ID camp in April and we signed him."
Creek brings speed and versatility as a player who can man the wing in either offensive or defensive zones of the pitch.
"He sent us a video and we liked what we saw, so we brought him in," said Loga. "He's pacey and he's played internationally a little bit in Denmark for a school there. He has a bit more of a holistic perspective. He's been coached by others, seen different styles of play.
"He's pacey, very good on the ball, so I see him in the 18. He'll help us right away."
Creek indeed played in Denmark in 2015-16 leading school Efterskolen Ved Nyborg into the Danish nationals. He was recently nominated for the Vancouver Island Div. 1 men's soccer league rookie of the year.
"I see Liam playing either wing up top or in the back," said Loga. "We're looking forward to the versatility that Liam will bring. We've got a lot of talent coming in. We're undergoing a rebuild here, so we're very excited to have these young talented players come in."
Haagerup will be one of two first-year keepers on the Griffins, joining previously announced recruit Simon Dawe of Calgary.
"There are two first-year guys and hopefully they can both share the load as a No. 1," said Loga. "Obviously we play back-to-back games over weekends, so it never hurts to have depth at that position where you can rotate them.
"They're coming in with the same years of eligibility, so hopefully we can have a good goalkeeper duo for years to come and they can embrace that level of compete we want."
Haagerup has trained at multiple Vancouver Whitecaps Academy camps and comes with eight years of experience at the goalkeeper position. He currently plays men's league for the Campbell River Cermaqs.
"He has good size at 6-2/6-3, so he'll be a presence in the box and the penalty area," said Loga. "We didn't do well defending crosses and set pieces last year.
"It also helps that they're coming together," he added. "He'll hopefully acclimate fairly easily, having a good friend there that he's known a long time. Thanks to Liam for mentioning him and bringing him to our attention and kudos to him for getting on a plane to come out here for the ID camp."
