New look Harborside FC teams prepare for Nanaimo debut | NanaimoNewsNOW

“We got a little bit tired in the legs, tired in the brain and the players recognize that and we will come out bigger and better in the next game.”

Sixteen players return for the women’s team, which missed out on a play-off spot in the final weekend of last season.

Captain Mary Nicholls, striker Erin Jensen, goalkeepers Emily Rowbotham and Kaiden Thorpe, along with NCAA star Jazmine Wilkinson are among those back for their second season.

Taylor said the team’s recruitment efforts were boosted by Victoria-based Highlanders FC not fielding a squad and freeing up a number of very high-level players to join Harborside.

Former Highlanders captain Taiya Scorey, winger Sophie Murphy and fullback Sophie Miranda are among the players from the South Island and bring a lot of experience at this level.

“That’s not a part that we need to introduce them to, as far as the competition and as far as camaraderie. It’s already happening and there’s a history of players playing together. So we are super excited to get together.”

Taylor said fans can expect the team to be fast, fit and grow as the season progresses.

“We want to achieve a result, but we do not lose sight of the process that gets us there. The process didn’t last like their last weekend, so we know we really have to assert ourselves in the final third (Saturday against Rivers). We will be a very dynamic and energetic team that I think the fans will love.”

Taylor also highlighted defender Rebekah van Dort as a key off-season recruit, joining the team from high-level football in New Zealand, as well as matches last year in League 1 in Ontario.

Kevin Lindo’s men’s team wants to move up in 2023 after a tough season and has started strongly.

Three goals in their opening match, including two for Vasilis Bagiopoulos, are a sign of things to come.

“We always want good guys to get the ball in dangerous areas. “We want to try and dictate the pace of the game, both in and out of possession, so we’ll stay true to that.”

The recruitment also brought the men’s team to Vancouver Island and also benefited from some international stretches.

Players on the roster come from Morocco, Egypt, England, Scotland, New Zealand and Venezuela.

“Some of those guys have been here longer than me, but that’s mostly BC, it’s a transient place, a beautiful place where people want to come,” Lindo said. “We have guys, whether they come from college or as immigrants, they bring skills.”

Lindo added that regardless of background, the focus was on players who could step in immediately and contribute.

“We wanted guys who were used to playing at a high level and had good fitness and energy. We also wanted to cast a net across the island, so we have a cohort from Victoria and then we still have that handful that come from far and wide across the country.

Ten players return from last year’s squad, including Canadian national futsal goalkeeper Callum Weir, defender Fergus Hall and winger Suka Behery.

Lindo was coy about new recruits he was keen to showcase to his fans, saying there is a long list of exciting players set to see action in the coming weeks.

Saturday’s game against Rivers starts a busy stretch of three games in seven days for Harborside.

The squads will travel to North Vancouver and play Altitude FC on Wednesday, May 8 before returning home to host the Vancouver Whitecaps on May 11.

Saturday’s match also marks the first of a two-leg cup tie between Harborside and Rivers, playing for the inaugural Reid Davidson Cup.

Davidson was part of the team’s staff last season and was killed in an accident on the Nanaimo Parkway in mid-July.

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