For immediate release

Kwantlen Eagles Battle Cross River Rivals Douglas College Royals

METRO VANCOUVER, BC – (October 12, 2011) – The Kwantlen Polytechnic University Varsity soccer teams faced their cross river rivals, the Douglas College Royals, in a home and home series this weekend. The women managed a split, while unfortunately the men fell to the Royals in both matches.

The Eagles kicked off the weekend's games honouring fifth year midfielder, Marissa Dionne's (North Delta) final home game for the Eagles. Dionne joined the Eagles in 2007 and played an integral role in the Eagles' Provincial Bronze (2008), Provincial Gold (2009), National Bronze (2009) and Provincial Gold (2010) Championship finishes.

Despite starting slowly, the Eagles took a 1-0 lead into half when third year forward Shanay Sangha (Richmond) opened the scoring at the 21 minute mark of the match. The second half of the match was a different story. A couple of key substitutions for the Eagles brought energy to the pitch which translated into a much better effort. Second year forward Dominique Lang (Langley) opened the flood gates netting a goal at the 50 minute mark. The women continued to press forward scoring four more times including two more goals from Shanay Sangha who finished with a hat trick. Goals by rookie midfielder Jenessa Moore (Vernon) and second year forward Kathleen Gratz (Surrey) rounded out a much deserved 6-0 victory.

When the Eagles (0-3-4) took the field at Newton Athletic Park on Saturday, they knew they were in for a challenge. The Royals are currently ranked 7th in the CCAA national rankings are and perched on top of the PAC WEST standings with a (5-1-1) record. A slow start to the match resulted in two quick goals from penalties which allowed the Royals to take a quick 2-0 lead. After trailing 3-0 at half, second year forward Jacob Starheim (Delta) scored at the 54 minute mark to pull the Eagles within two goals; however that would be as close as the Eagles would get with the final score, 7-1.

Sunday's rematch in Coquitlam started off much better for the Eagles. The women came out much more determined than the previous match and managed to score an early goal when Shanay Sangha placed a shot past the Douglas keeper at the 5 minute mark of the match. Unfortunately the Eagles were unable to keep their early momentum as Douglas scored two late goals to edge out a tough fought 2-1 victory.

Sunday proved to be a much different effort for the Eagles men's team, coming out with a relaxed and focused mindset. For most of the match the play was evenly split between the two sides. The match score was held tightly at 2-1 until the 75 minute mark when the Royals managed to take control of the match and scored three quick strikes to finish off with a 5-1 victory. Key players for the Eagles over the weekend were second year midfielder Connor Sheepwash (Surrey) and third year midfielder/forward Justin Sidhu (New Westminster).

"Regardless of Douglas' status in the league, the team responded in a positive and aggressive manner in both games," said head coach Ajit Braich. "We look to carry the effort through for the last three games of the season."

The Eagles travel to Prince George this Saturday to play the University of Northern British Columbia Timberwolves. Kick-off for the women is at 1pm, and for the men at 3pm.

Complete game results can be found at: www.kwantlen.ca/eagles

Kwantlen Polytechnic University has been serving the Metro Vancouver region for 30 years, and has opened doors to success for more than 200,000 people. Four campuses—Richmond, Surrey, Cloverdale and Langley—offer a comprehensive range of sought-after programs, including business, liberal arts and science, design, health, trades and technology, apprenticeships, horticulture, and academic and career advancement. Over 17,000 students annually have a choice from over 135 programs, including bachelor's degrees, associate degrees, diplomas, certificates and citations.

-30-

For more information about the Kwantlen Eagles, contact:
Elise Le Brun
Director, Athletics & Recreation
Tel: 604.599.2005
elise.lebrun@kwantlen.ca