– Kyle Morrison, staff

It is only the first year of competition for Laurier Brantford’s co-ed extramural soccer team, but they are showing that they can hold their own against some tough competition.

In the team’s first indoor soccer tournament on February 2 at Redeemer, the Golden Hawks finished a strong third. The tournament hosted Redeemer’s two teams, two teams from Humber College and another from Seneca College.

“Initially we weren’t sure how well we would do, but we turned out awesome. We got to show the kind of talent that we have at Laurier Brantford,” said team captain Brendon de Beaurevers.

There are key differences between a varsity and an extramural team, even more so due to the university’s lack of training facilities and with that in mind, de Beaurevers believes the team surpassed expectations. Because of this, de Beaurevers felt that it is less about strategizing and creating plays and more about getting a feel for each others abilities and how to work with them,

“If we’re competing against teams that have been practicing all year round, they’re used to each other. But for an extramural team, we need to focus on chemistry and how to work together as a unit.”

Even with only a couple months of playing together, their results suggest the team dynamic must be coming together quite well, and with their next tournament coming up on March 2, they will need to get even stronger.

Things look promising for Laurier Brantford’s co-ed extramural soccer team, and although de Beaurevers will not be returning as captain next year, he’s positive that there are first years willing to step up and take things to the next level. He hopes this level of team consistency will make for an even more close-knit group next year.

If the program continues to rise, de Beaurevers envisions a varsity team in the making.

“I don’t know if there’s ever a varsity team intended to come to Laurier Brantford, but this is definitely setting the ground work. I think we could be able to run such a program. It would be nice to see a Laurier Brantford varsity team for any sport.”

And that’s what’s so great about the extramural teams at Laurier Brantford. They are a great stepping stone for the university to be able to showcase the talented athletes here and hopefully parlay that into our own varsity teams.

“I think the fact that we did so well and that it’s our first year shows that we have some talent here and that if we do get together we can have a good product.”

For now Laurier Brantford will compete in indoor soccer at the extramural level, hoping to prove themselves enough to earn a bid as Laurier Branrford’s first varsity squad.