It's the moment you've been waiting for! The Harbourside squads are ready to put on a show this Saturday at the Q'unq'inuqwstuxw Stadium in Nanaimo. The teams are up against Rivers FC from Kamloops. Do you have your tickets yet? Buy tickets here.
These games will mark the inaugural Reid Davidson Charity Shield - a collaboration with Rivers FC from Kamloops and Davidson Family. It will be a total points home-and-home trophy involving both the men's and women's teams!
Reid was a well-loved member of both soccer communities and the Nanaimo United FC and Harbourside FC Member Services Coordinator. Contributions for two new scholarships are being collected by Nanaimo United FC or when you purchase your tickets.
The men's team celebrating after a goal last weekend in Burnaby.
Shea Battie, a returning player for the women's team, is looking forward to being on her home pitch, hearing the team song being played, and having Harbourside's fans roaring from the stands. Fergus Hall, the men's team captain, says he is "looking forward to playing in front of our amazing fans again and showing the community the level of soccer we are playing this year!"
Shea said that from last game, the ladies are aiming to work on finishing their chances and keeping the energy high until the game is over. On the men's side, Fergus noted:
"We have a big week coming up with 3 very important games, so we are hoping to use our amazing support from the fans to push us on! I know all the guys are looking forward to playing at home again in front of our friends, family, and the community, and we plan on making our home field a fortress this season. We had a good start to the season last week, so we are looking to build on that and get an important win for the team this Saturday."
As Shea pointed out, "...it’s really exciting that we now represent the whole island this year!" Nanaimo is now the Island's focal point for semi-professional soccer this season, and as Shea and Fergus have made clear, Harbourside is ready to show BC what the Island is made of!
Shea Battie defending a shot in last week's game against Burnaby FC.
Meet some more of our players!
From left to right: Charlie Purcell, Ruby Nicholas, Yusuf Osman, Gilliane Stewardson
Charlie Purcell
If you caught the game last weekend, you probably noticed Charlie confidently leading the squad from the back. Charlie is a centre back and is a returning player from last year. Charlie's favourite moment from last year was the free kick he scored against Whitecaps FC. Check out the video below! Prior to Harbourside, he played for Queen's University and Comox Valley United. Charlie noted that he is a deadball specialist, and his goal this season is to make playoffs with Harbourside.
Gilliane Stewardson
Gilliane is a returning centre back and holding midfielder for the women's team. Outside of the Harbourside season, she plays for Point Park University, a Division 2 team in Pittsburgh. Her soccer career started in 2012 with the Campbell River Youth Soccer Association, where she played house soccer for a couple of years before moving up to a Tier 3 team called the Rapids. By U14, she was playing for the Upper Island Riptide with fellow Harbourside teammate Meghan Lineger.
Yusuf Osman
Yusuf first started playing soccer in Egypt with a small local club. Prior to Harbourside FC, he played for Carleton University in Ottawa. His fondest memory from last season with his varsity crew was when they won the OUA provincials and became the number one ranked university in Ontario. Yusuf is a full-back and centre midfielder. His strengths include his work ethic and he's always looking to get the ball in the box and make runs in behind. This season, he wants to help build the Harbourside community, get Nanaimo excited about League1 soccer, and "create lasting memories along the way."
Ruby Nicholas
Ruby is a winger from UVic's varsity team. This season, her goal is "to make an impact on Harborside’s offense and have tons of soccer fun through the summer. It’s really exciting coming from Victoria and meeting so many awesome people from the Nanaimo soccer community and I’m really looking forward to what the season has in store!" Her biggest strengths on the field are her speed, particularly during 1v1 battles and when chasing a through ball, and her fitness. Check out the video below of her favourite moment from her most recent season with UVic. The entire play involves Vikes players who also all play for Harbourside! It was a late goal that secured their win. "It was a really important game for us to win in terms of proving we could compete going into Can West playoffs." Ladies, let's recreate a play like that for Harbourside!