For immediate release

Kwantlen Eagles Qualify for the Provincial Championships

METRO VANCOUVER, BC – (October 26, 2011) – The Kwantlen Polytechnic University Eagles soccer teams played two away matches last weekend against the Langara Falcons and the Quest Kermodes. Despite playing a solid road game, the women's team lost a close 2-1 match to Langara, but were able to rebound on Sunday with a 1-0 victory against Quest. The men's team managed to pull out a tough fought 1-0 victory against Langara on Saturday, however lost to Quest 2-0 on Sunday.

When the Eagles women's soccer team took to the field on Saturday to play Langara they knew that a victory against the Falcons would likely clinch top spot in Group A of the PACWEST conference. From the opening whistle the match was a hard fought affair with both teams trying to get the upper hand. Langara opened the scoring but Kwantlen fought hard to even the match and the team was rewarded when second year forward Yvamara Rodriguez (Port Coquitlam) fed a beautiful ball through to third year forward Shanay Sangha (Richmond) who calmly put the ball into the net to pull the Eagles into a 1-1 tie heading into half.

Even though the Eagles played some of the best soccer of their season in the opening 20 minutes of the second half, it unfortunately wasn't enough as Langara scored at the 88 minute mark to break the tie and take the 2-1 victory.

Saturday's match-up against the Langara Falcons had a playoff atmosphere for the Eagles men's squad; both teams were playing to qualify for next week's Provincial championships. The Eagles came out with confidence and determination, second year forward Jacob Starheim (Delta) and rookie forward Marcos Teodoro Da Silva (Burnaby) both had opportunities to put the Eagles on top early, but were unable to convert. The game remained scoreless until the 27 minute mark when Marcos Teodoro Da Silva buried a shot into the back of the net to give the Eagles a 1-0 lead.

The Eagles used some sound positional play to fend off the Falcons in the second half. The star of the match was fourth year goalkeeper Tom Johnston who made a number of key saves, including two point blank chances to preserve the shut out. The 1-0 victory secured a birth in the 2011 PACWEST Provincial Championships; the first time the team has done so since the 2007 season.

With needing only one point to clinch second spot in Group A, the Eagles women's soccer team came out with purpose on Sunday against Quest. A well struck free-kick from rookie midfielder Janessa Moore (Vernon) ricocheted off the bar directly to Shanay Sangha (Richmond) who headed in her league leading 11th goal of the season to give the Eagles a 1-0 lead.

Sound defensive play from second year midfielder Nicole Gibbons (Delta), first year midfielder Kathleen Ehman (Langley) and Meghan Neilson kept the Kermodes at bay. Eagle's goalkeeper Melina Gomez (North Vancouver) made an outstanding save off of a deflected ball from the edge of the penalty to preserve her league leading 6th shutout of the season.

The Eagles men's team were not as fortunate in Sunday's match against Quest. Despite another strong performance from goalkeeper Tom Johnston, the Eagles were unable to capitalize on any of their chances throughout the game. Quest managed to score two goals against the flow of play, which was enough to secure a 2-0 victory.

The Eagles women's team finished the season in 2nd place in Group A of the PACWEST soccer standings with a record of 7-0-5. The Eagles men's team also ended the season in 2nd spot in Group A with a record of 4-3-5. Both Eagles squads have qualified to play in the 2011 PACWEST Provincial Soccer Championships hosted by UBC Okanagan in Kelowna.

The Eagles will next play at the PACWEST 2011 Provincial Soccer Championships this Friday October 28th in Kelowna. The Women will open the tournament against VIU at 10:30am, and the men will challenge the host UBCO at 3:30pm.

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.

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

For more information about Kwantlen, contact:
Joanne Saunders
Director, Marketing and Communications
Tel: 604.599.2243
joanne.saunders@kwantlen.ca