Repeat Realistic?

There’s an old saying in sports, “staying on top is a lot more difficult, then getting to the top.”  Albeit people say it in different ways, but the point is once a team wins a championship, repeating the feat is extremely difficult.

It’s no different in PACWEST soccer, but the Douglas College women Royals and the Capilano men Blues will try to defy the odds and repeat last year’s Provincial gold this season.

On the women’s side the feat has been accomplished eight times in 35 years that a school has won back to back titles.    The last time it happened the TRU Wolfpack (now in Canada West) won three straight from 2011-2013.  The Royals are seeking the same path and enter the Provincials as the top seed, just like the Wolfpact did in 2012 on route to their second straight title.

The last time a men’s team won PACWEST gold in back to back years was the VIU Mariners in 2010 and 2011.  In men’s soccer it has happened nine times in 46 years.  For the Blues they are no stranger to winning back to back, doing it three times.   They first won gold in 1985 and 1986, then won four consecutive years from 1988-1991, followed by a three-peat from 2006-2008. The 2016 edition are hoping for the same sort of success.

Unlike last season the Blues will enter the Provincials the top seed and will be heavily favoured.   Last year they won the PACWEST gold medal as the #3 seed.

Both the Royals and Blues will try and etch their name in the PACWEST history when they open the Provincial championship tournament on Friday October 28th