Last Saturday, I joined my buddy Chris and two of his friends from UBC for lunch at the California Café in Richmond. I’ve never met his friends before, so we were introduced, and as soon as they found out that I went to Trinity Western University they said something that surprised me. They didn’t ask me if I was a Bible-thumper or whether or not we have curfews—they said something along the lines of, “Aw…you guys have a killer soccer team!”

“Killer soccer teams” would have been more accurate. Spartan men and women alike have been garnering fame across the country, showing everyone just how big of a punch a small school can really pack. We’ve been in the CIS a mere five years and yet have managed to put a national title behind us already.

Nowadays it’s becoming increasingly common for people to equate TWU with superb athletics. Spartan soccer has plenty to do with that. Their success has helped place TWU on the map and is a testament to what this school is all about.

Scope on Spartan Soccer

Our teams aren’t showing any signs of slowing down. Both the women and men are headed to the postseason, with the women traveling to Calgary to continue their season, and the men playing at home next weekend as hosts of the Canada West Men’s Playoffs.

The Spartan women (8-4-4) earned a crucial win on Thursday night, soundly defeating the Lethbridge Pronghorns 3-0 to secure their fourth playoff appearance in five seasons in the CIS. The defending national champions have strung together a six-game unbeaten streak, eerily similar to last season’s seven-game season ending streak that continued on into the postseason and culminated in our first CIS national title. Our Spartan women will fly to Calgary next week to continue defending that title and pursuing another one.

The Spartan men (6-2-4) earned a much-needed win on Thursday night, extending their win streak to three with a 2-0 victory over Lethbridge. On Saturday the men won their fourth in a row, defeating Calgary 1-0. TWU is host to the 2005 Canada West Men’s Playoffs on November 4 and 5. The men sit in second place in the conference behind the UBC Thunderbirds. This will be the third appearance that our men’s soccer team will be making in the five years we’ve been in the CIS.

Complete Champions

According to Vince Lombardi, “The price of success is hard work, dedication to the job at hand, and the determination that whether we win or lose, we have applied the best of ourselves to the task at hand.” The question of the moment is: “Do our soccer players have that winning attitude?”

The answer is a resounding yes, and more. The “complete champion approach” helps Spartan student athletes become complete people and champions in all areas of their lives. This program seeks to address the whole person (spiritual, physical, intellectual, emotional, and social). Some student athletes may not realize how much they can accomplish if they address all areas of their lives and take on life to the fullest.

With this in mind, we ought to throw the weight of our support behind our athletes, encouraging them that there is really no reason why they can’t win nationals this year.