Jefferson Hagen / MacEwan Athletics
Bolstered by an influx of high school standouts, academy stars and college transfers, the MacEwan Griffins men's soccer team embarks on a new Canada West season Saturday, aiming to defy recent coaches' rankings that predict they'll finish last among the conference's 13 teams.
Coming off a 2-11-3 campaign in 2016 – second worst in Canada West ahead of a now-dormant Winnipeg program – it certainly isn't a surprise that the Griffins weren't shown any love by their peers.
Regardless, they will press on looking for results in a season-opening road trip to Calgary, against the U of C Dinos Saturday (2:15 p.m.) and against the Mount Royal Cougars Sunday (1:30 p.m.).
"I've kind of preached since coming on here that it's a process," said Adam Loga, who is entering his second season as head coach of the Griffins men's soccer program. "As long as we're progressing in the right direction, that's improvement. I think we did that this off-season in adding some pieces.
"We just came into Canada West not that long ago and we want to continue to progress on the pitch here. I think we've implemented and added some tools that will allow us to do that here this year."
Among those is rookie goalkeeper Dory Elliott, who was once on Team Canada's radar as a youth player and attended the Vancouver Whitecaps academy, and several of his fellow Archbishop O'Leary high school teammates: Christian Kosmin, Michael Ho, Christopher Anastacio and Michael Friesen.
Arguably the two best players on Edmonton's King's University roster last season – Zibusiso Moyo and Curtis Schick – have transferred over from the ACAC loop to the Griffins, while former Grande Prairie Regional College standout defender Sean Douglas will help improve a back line that allowed 37 goals against in 2016 – second-worst in Canada West.
Freshman forward Lewis McDowell could also be a find for Loga. Not much was known about the Ponoka product before his coach contacted Loga and he got a look at a Griffins' ID camp.
"He's just brings a work rate and energy, which is something we looked at when recruiting," said Loga. "To find him from Ponoka was a diamond in the rough, for sure, and one that we're pleased to have found.
"I think he'll be a pretty integral part of our nucleus going forward as he progresses in his second, third and fourth year."
The new faces add to a good core of returning players, including 2016 leading scorer Lahai Mansaray, talented mid-season addition Christian Hernandez, seasoned midfielder Josh Samuel and stellar brother defensive duo Bennett and Sam Foster.
More than anything, the incoming Griffins inject optimism into a group that has been dealt many hard losses in recent seasons.
"They bring energy and excitement," noted Loga. "They're excited to be a part of a Canada West program and they're new to it. They bring a new mentality and they buy into the culture that we're trying to create here.
"With that kind of new look, there's nowhere to go but up with them in the sense that they're writing the first page of their story. There's no previous recollections or things that have happened in the past.
"It brings new life to the group. It brings energy and hunger to the group, which is nice to see."
Loga and his staff will be looking for some early results this weekend against Calgary and MRU teams that have lost big stars. The Dinos no longer have dynamic striker Dominic Russo, who scored 15 times last season, or super defender Dominick Zator, who notched 11 assists in 2016.
MRU, meanwhile, is in the post-Cody Cook era; the midfielder graduating after an eight-goal, 11 point campaign in 2016. The Cougars have also lost towering defender Tyrin Hutchings.
"They'll have different looks for sure, but Brendan O'Connell and Ryan Gyaki are both respected coaches and are both very, very good," said Loga. "They'll be organized. Those programs are fine-tuned machines over there. They won't skip a beat."
Following the road trip, the Griffins will return to Edmonton for their home-opening set as they welcome Saskatchewan on Sept. 2 and Lethbridge on Sept. 3 (both games at noon, Jasper Place Bowl).
