Head Coach Evan Fryer is optimistic about his SMUS Senior Boys Soccer team as it heads into the season, which is a good sign for the Blue Jags’ prospects.
Fryer, who is in his 13th year as a soccer coach at the school, guided the Senior Blue Jags to a provincial title in 2016. His senior SMUS teams have only once missed qualifying for the provincial tournament. So, he knows a thing or two about the necessary ingredients for a successful side.
“I think we can be really competitive this year,” says Fryer, whose team will play host to the 10-team Independent Schools Athletic Association (ISAA) Tournament this Friday and Saturday.
Buoying that optimism are seven returning Grade 12s from the SMUS team that finished third among Vancouver Island AA squads last season and 10th at the BC AA Championship tournament, as well as a talented crop of Grade 11s who should enhance the speed and scoring capacity of the Blue Jags.
Looming large among those Grade 12 players are co-captains Davis Hardy and Marcus Lam, who are expected to lead the way this season. Davis, an athletic 6'4" midfielder who also excels on the basketball court, brings a tremendous work rate to the pitch and a calmness that will help establish the Blue Jags offensively. Lam, his fellow senior and a boarder from Hong Kong, is a strong centre back who provides steady leadership from the back end. Two other Grade 12 backs – Dash Nelson and Rhys Tuohy – will also help to propel the team forward on attack.
“We’re going to play some version of a 4-3-3 [formation],” Fryer says, referring to an alignment of four backs, three midfielders and three attackers. “Our defenders will direct the play and we’ll really look to use our pace up front. We’ll look to build our attack out of the back end as well.”
Providing a boost to that overall team pace are a strong group of Grade 11s – among them Will Zielinski, a 6'2" striker who injects some serious speed and athleticism into the lineup. Also expected to contribute significantly up front is Parker Sheehan, a right-wing speedster. Meanwhile, fellow Grade 11 Quinn McMeekin offers size and pace on the back end as well as an ability to jump up to striker.
“I’m pleasantly surprised by the talent in the Grade 11 group,” says Fryer, who will be assisted by Gregor Klenz for the third straight season.
Another important part of the Blue Jags’ Grade 11 contingent is Rayan Shariaty, who will be the team’s goalkeeper after filling that role for the SMUS Junior Boys last year.
SMUS will once again be playing in the Lower Island Tier 1 league that includes AA rivals Lambrick Park and Stelly’s as well as AAA schools Oak Bay, Reynolds, Claremont and Royal Bay. When it comes to playoffs, SMUS will play host to the Island AA tournament at the University of Victoria November 4 and 5.
The Blue Jags finished third among Lower Island AA teams last year behind Lambrick and St. Andrew’s. With St. Andrew’s moving to single-A this season, Fryer looks to Lambrick Park as the toughest local AA competition for the Blue Jags. SMUS will meet Lambrick in a league match on October 22. “That will be a big test for us,” he says.
The goal for the Blue Jags will be to improve on their Island finish from last year, when they placed third and earned the final Island berth for provincials by beating Brentwood College on penalty kicks – and to again reach the BC Championship tournament, which this year runs November 18-20 at Burnaby Lake.
“The big thing is for us to get a better seed at Islands,” Fryer says. “If we are able to reach the Island final this year, that would be a good goal.”
SMUS actually saw its first action last week with a 3-2 exhibition win over visiting Carihi of Campbell River. McMeekin, Hardy and Sheehan tallied for the Blue Jags in that contest. The team is scheduled to play Reynolds in another exhibition on Thursday at Braefoot, beginning at 3:15 pm. Regular league play begins next week.
The Blue Jags should face a challenge this weekend as they host the ISAA tournament on Friday and Saturday. SMUS is in a round-robin pool with St. George’s, Shawnigan Lake, West Point Grey and Southpointe. The other pool includes 2023 BC AA runner-up Mulgrave, Brentwood College, Collingwood, Glenlyon-Norfolk School and Aberdeen.
The tournament begins Friday at 9:45 am with SMUS meeting Southpointe. It will continue until Saturday with the final games kicking off at 3:15 pm.
