November in Sports

Moving on from the scarily close scores and hair-raising wins of October, read ahead for November HEAT news.

Last month, UBCO’s acclaimed Softball team went all the way to Nationals after placing second at the Western Finals. At Nationals, unfortunately, the HEAT flamed out in the Quarter Finals, losing to the Laurier Golden Hawks.

The soccer regular season is officially over, with the Women’s team securing two wins and tying three games during the regular season. The men’s team has unfortunately not been as lucky, not having won a single game this season. Neither team was able to secure spots in the playoffs.

The Cross Country season has been going strong. On October 31, both men and women’s runners competed in the Canada West Championship. Placement in this competition will determine if they compete in the USPORT National Championship, which takes place Saturday, November 14, in Hamilton, Ontario.

The HEAT rugby team has been hard at work, securing win after win for UBCO in Calgary, having lost only once the entire season. Following that with two straight wins at the Prairies U Championships in Calgary fast-tracked them to the Canadian University Men’s Rugby Championship in Langley, BC. Send them your support as we anxiously wait for them to bring home gold for the HEAT.

HEAT women’s basketball has represented UBCO incredibly well during preseason, winning seven of the nine preseason matches. The men’s team unfortunately has not seen the same results, starting the season without a single preseason win. Luckily, the only way to go is up!

Both teams have now played at home and are ready for the remainder of the season. The women’s team will start off November basketball in the Furnace in the classic matchup against the UBC Thunderbirds Friday, November 6, at 5 p.m.. They will continue the weekend against the University of Fraser Valley (UFV) Cascades on home court on Saturday, November 7, at 4 p.m..

Catch the men’s team playing in the Furnace, Friday, November 6th, at 7 p.m. as they play against the UBC Thunderbirds. You can also watch them take the court against the UFV Cascades in the Furnace at 6 p.m. on Saturday, November 7. Both teams will spend the rest of the month on the road so be sure to wish them well.

The HEAT has kept the momentum throughout the preseason and their home openers from their respective Homecoming showcases. Volleyball will reign in the Furnace throughout November so be sure to come burn blue and show your support for the teams all month long before their December hiatus.

Men’s volleyball will start off November on the court as they face the USASK Huskies on Friday, November 13, at 11 a.m.. They’ll be back against the Huskies on Saturday, November 14, at 3 p.m.. You can catch them play the UFV Cascades in the Furnace at 7 p.m. on Friday, November 27, and finish off the month against the Cascades on Saturday, November 28 at 6 p.m..

Women’s volleyball will follow the men’s teams this season, also playing at home against the USASK Huskies on Friday, November 13, and Saturday, November 14. Both games will start at 5 p.m.. They will play against the UFV Cascades on Friday, November 27, at 5 p.m. and finally, Saturday, November 28, at 4 p.m..

While team victories were few and far between for the HEAT Soccer teams, many players worked hard to improve their own game and meet their own goals. Particularly, the HEAT men’s goalkeeper, Ronan Woodroffe, set Canada West’s all-time saves record in the team’s game against the Victoria Vikes on October 17. A week later, on October 23, Ronan set the single saves record during the game against the Thompson Rivers University (TRU) Wolfpack.

Ronan is in his final semester of a 5 year political science degree at UBCO, but his love of soccer has been lifelong, starting at just 5 years old. Ronan plans on continuing his passion beyond the HEAT, as his confidence in his soccer ability allows him to believe that he can give more to the sport and grow his career.

He admits that he has worked hard to improve himself but was pleasantly surprised to see how close he came to eventually setting these records. He loves how this record allows him to look back at his university career and the countless hours he, his coaches, and his teammates have poured into their performance. He emphasizes that he is incredibly grateful for all the HEAT has given to him and is excited to see what the next phase of his soccer career looks like.

With a whole month of court sports in the Furnace to keep us warm with the cooling temperatures, be sure to come watch your favourite teams. The schedule’s set out so it’s up to you to come burn blue!