Ali-Oop
Blues first year forward Aydin Ali is already making an impact this year
The Capilano Blues men’s soccer team added some talented pieces in the offseason, and it has already paid off through the first six games of the year as they sit just three points out of first place.
One of the additions they are particularly excited about is forward Aydin Ali, a graduate of Seaquam high school. ”I chose to attend Capilano because of Coach Steve (Millar) and the great team environment,” says Ali. “I have been able to be coached by him for the last couple of years and have seen the dedication he has for his teams and his great desire to win. We both have the same goals for this season, and it helped with the decision of coming to Capilano.”
Last weekend at VIU, Ali scored his first and second career PACWEST goals in a 2-1 victory over the Mariners. All game long he showed great poise for a first-year player and was prominent in the Blues attack all weekend. He continues to earn more playing time and will no doubt make a difference for the remainder of the season.
He first started playing soccer at the tender age of four and has played ever since. He dabbled in football both growing up and at the high school level but has always come back to soccer. “I started to take soccer more serious in my intake year for BCSPL. Since it got more competitive, I had to make sure I was always performing very well to stay at the top level.”
The sport has also allowed him some incredible opportunities, “My most memorable soccer moment was going to England with my academy team and competing with top clubs including Brighton Fc feeder squads and academies in Manchester. It was a great experience and showed me what I had to do to compete with top players.”
Through six games this season he has two goals and is hoping to match his personal best, “My record for most goals in a season is eight, so I’m hoping to beat that or come close to it this year. I feel our team at Capilano is gelling really well and we are starting to get a good feel of each other and how we all play. We all have the same end goal this season and are working hard to accomplish it.”
He is enrolled in the business program at Capilano and will no doubt be a major impact athlete of the Blues for the foreseeable future. He and the Blues will host the Douglas Royals and Langara Falcons this coming weekend.