Langara Falcons Off-Season Forecast

The Langara Falcons were the lone team looking from the outside in back in 2019 when it came to the PACWEST championship tournament. They scored just seven times, winning only once while seven of their 11 losses were by two goals or less.

They have retooled and are ready to kick-off the 2021 campaign with a brand new home and a terrific new partnership. They will open the season on the 18th when they host the Douglas Royals at 1:00pm.

What’s New with the Falcons:

The most exciting news coming out of Langara heading into the new PACWEST season is the Falcons brand new host site. They will be hosting their games at Swangard Stadium this season, a storied pitch with plenty of historical moments to its credit. Constructed in 1969 the stadium has housed the Vancouver Whitecaps, the 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup and the Simon Fraser Clan just to name a few.

They also have a great new partnership with the Langara kinesiology department as they have supplied the team with GPS and heart monitors. Dr. Andrew Perrotta, the current Langara kinesiology instructor and former Canada Women’s Field Hockey Sports Scientist will be monitoring the data.

Key Grads:

Carly Dhanda – coming into the 2019 season the Falcons had high expectations for her after two solid years with the club, but unfortunately she played in only three games and is not returning in 2021.

Reiko Bohmert – she always seem to draw attention from the opposition each time she touched the ball. She scored two of the Falcons seven goals back in 2019.

Tatiana Benoit – she played in all but one game for the Falcons in 2019 scoring her lone goal against the VIU Mariners.

Entering Final Season

Megan MacFarlane – she has been a solid player for the Falcons playing all 12 games in 2019. She will be looked upon for her leadership on and off the pitch this year quarterbacking the defence.

Nadia Bigiolli – she was a rookie in 2019 and will be asked to do even more offensively when the season kicks-off on the 18th.

Rachel Barker – the Charles Tupper Secondary grad will need to be solid in the Falcons backend to stop the opposition’s scoring chances.

What They Needed:

Given the nature of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Falcons needed to replenish nearly all positions on their roster. Head coach Mark Eckerle believes they have achieved this but also says they may need a larger roster to manage the demands of two games in two days.

Counting On:

Anika Scott – she joins the Falcons after graduating from Vancouver Technical Secondary and will be counted on to be a solid midfielder in the upcoming season.

Ayanah Hassan – after graduating from North Surrey Secondary she will be inserted into the Falcons defensive core. At 5’7 she will give the opposition strikers problems finding scoring lanes.

Cassidy Kwan – a rookie striker from Centennial Secondary has a nose for the net at 5’9 and will look to increase the Falcons offensive production from 2019.

The Falcons will host the Royals on Saturday September 18th at historic Swangard Stadium to open the new PACWEST season.