Jefferson Hagen / MacEwan Athletics
EDMONTON – Sean Douglas is explaining his schedule last season and it's hard not to be impressed.
He went to soccer practice at Grande Prairie Regional College from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Then he'd jet back to the gym for volleyball practice from 7:30 to 8:30. Somewhere before or after he'd find time to do homework. Oh, then there's classes, sleeping, eating, etc. Not to mention travelling to competitions.
Such is the life of a multi-sport post-secondary student athlete, which really isn't for the faint of heart.
"Balancing school and the practices was really tough," said Douglas, who transferred to MacEwan to join the men's soccer team this season. "It was a little bit challenging, but once I did it after a year, I kind of got my flow down."
In moving to Edmonton, Douglas decided to keep it simple and just focus on soccer. And it's working out well for the Griffins, who landed a starting defender that has quickly become a rock in the back line.
"He's a dual sport athlete and he definitely brings athleticism to our group on the park," said head coach Adam Loga, whose team puts their 2-7-1 record on the line this weekend in a home-and-home series with cross-town rival Alberta (Saturday, noon, Clareview and Sunday, 2:15 p.m., Foote Field).
"He's pacey, he can jump out of the stadium. Canada West men's soccer, being such an athletic league, he lends himself very well to it."
Douglas, who was a setter and utility player on the volleyball court, comes from a world where everyone on the court can jump sky-high. But in soccer, his vertical is a cut above, allowing the 6-foot-1 centre-back to dominate on set pieces. His speed is also essential in helping to cut down MacEwan's goals against.
"We conceded four times the game he wasn't in the lineup due to suspension, so that shows already his importance to our back four," said Loga of a recent loss to Saskatchewan without Douglas, who had taken three yellow cards. "I think he complements his partner Bennett Foster really well, which has allowed Bennett to have a better year. It's nice having that pace to rescue us in certain situations."
Douglas, who grew up in Winnipeg before moving to Grande Prairie as a kid, is one of three new Griffins players this season who played in the ACAC in 2016, joining King's University transfers Zibusiso Moyo and Curtis Schick. Just last year, he was jostling with them on the pitch, trying to shut them down.
"It wasn't weird at all," he said. "I didn't even recognize a lot of them until we played together and then I was like 'oh yeah, I played against you last year.' It was kind of funny and we had some laughs about our previous experiences playing against each other. It was very welcoming, being a part of the same league and getting to the (U Sports) level."
As for this weekend's test: it's a supreme one. Defending national champion Alberta is on top of the Canada West table at 7-1-2, so MacEwan will have to bring their best.
"I think it will be a good weekend," said Douglas. "I think U of A knows we can compete at this level. I don't think they're going to take it lightly. I think the teams we've competed with throughout this year, it's proved we aren't a pushover. It will be an interesting matchup. We'll definitely have to put in a lot of time organizing (to be successful) against them. It should be a grinding match."
The Griffins are coming into the contest off a 3-1 win at Lethbridge before pausing for a bye week. Their playoff chances hang on getting results in most, if not all, of their remaining four regular season games.
"We've got to get results," stressed Loga. "We weren't getting them and we may have been a little unlucky. But we've got to look after the things we can control – being set pieces and finishing our chances.
"We've been doing that better as of late. That's why we've gotten four points in the last three games. We look to hopefully carry that through to this weekend."
