Langley (TWU) – Trinity Western’s men’s soccer is back. The Spartans return much of their roster after qualifying for the Canada West Playoffs in the 2023 season.
A 2023 season consisting of ebbs and flows have led TWU’s blossoming roster to a 2024 season with few questions lurking around the team. With last year’s objective of returning to the conference playoffs being met, the Spartans now look to expand upon the triumphs of the 2023 season with some newfound experience and veteran savvy to be offered.
Expect that veteran savvy to come from none other than Thomas Powell (Coquitlam, B.C.) and Adam Hajdecki (Surrey, B.C.). The tandem of Canada West All-Stars proved their worth in their breakout seasons, leading the Spartans to a 2023 record of 6-4-5. Powell, the team captain, enters the 2024 season with a summer of professional soccer on his resumé. His career year, which saw him start all 16 matches to amass four goals and four assists, led to Powell’s name being called by Vancouver FC (Canadian Premier League) with the 15th pick in the CPL – U SPORTS Draft.
The back-line’s anchoring force of Adam Hajdecki will also be expected to pick up where he left off. Hajdecki played all 1,260 minutes in TWU’s 2023 season to lead TWU’s back-line to a fifth-place finish in goals conceded per game (0.87). The fourth-year center back also totalled four clean sheets across the 2023 season.
TWU’s roster still retains several players from their core with Francis Powell (Coquitlam, B.C.), Joey Seo (Victoria), Mario Banovic (Burnaby, B.C.), and Christian Rossi (Surrey, B.C.) all set to lace up at Chase Office Field this season.
Head coach Mike Shearon, in his ninth season at the helm, has managed the Spartans to six Canada West Playoff appearances and a trip to the U SPORTS Championships in 2018.
All of TWU’s matches will be live on Canada West TV – passes are available for purchase now.
QUOTABLE
Mike Shearon – Head Coach
“The outlook of the season is right for us. We’ve lost a few players from last year but retaining [Thomas Powell] is big for us. It’s going to come down to keeping our best players on the field with good health – and whether we can take care of big moments on the field. If we do those things then we’re in a good spot. Soccer is a fickle game – and things can slip in an instant. Hopefully being an older team can help us in those moments.”
GOALKEEPERS
Alexander Cordeiro (Burnaby, B.C.) will regain the number one spot in net after missing the entire 2023 season due to injury. Cordeiro conceded 23 goals in the 2022 season, stopping 64 shots throughout his initial season in between the posts for the Spartans. Cordeiro made significant strides throughout his rehab stint – and his quiet leadership will be invaluable for TWU this year.
DEFENDERS
Adam Hajdecki and Mario Banovic will likely remain as the primary centre back partnership for the Spartans this season. The fullback slots bring some options up for the Spartans with players such as Jonny Grant (Ottawa), Kosta Adzic (Burnaby, B.C.), and many others bringing offensive, or defensive advantages to the table when coach Shearon deems their services as necessary. TWU’s back line benefited from Banovic and Hajdecki having a full season to build chemistry, so their duo reinstating itself leaves few questions for the Spartans on the defensive third of the pitch.
MIDFIELDERS
TWU’s midfield brings its depth into play once again this season. With captain Thomas Powell leading the squad, Kieran Eve (Coquitlam, B.C.), Francis Powell, Joey Seo, Jordan Low (Port Moody, B.C.), and newcomer Grant Verhoeven (Surrey, B.C.) who will take up most of the minutes. Francis Powell featured as one of TWU’s most reliable ball movers in the midfield in 2023, appearing in all 16 matches last season. Seo and Eve bring different skillsets to the table as well, but both players were often named in the lineup throughout the 2023 season as well. There are few questions with the ability of Shearon’s midfield crew in the upcoming 2024 season, but each gifted member of the midfield core will have something to offer in each scenario that the Spartans are placed in this season. Verhoeven will slide into the roster as a valuable addition after playing for League 1 BC’s Unity FC – who are also coached by Shearon.
FORWARDS
The Spartans will have some of their forward questions answered as games are played in the first quarter of the season. TWU’s option with the most seniority is fourth-year Luca Alberti (Burnaby, B.C.), who has been an incredible burst of energy off TWU’s bench since his rookie year in 2022, tallying three goals and seven assists in only seven starts (27 appearances). Alberti’s utilization has been best utilized as a late-game super-sub throughout his two seasons as a Spartan though, so the opportunity for other options to gain minutes at the striker position is a possibility. Some of these options consist of Emmanuel Adokiene (Calgary), who was forced to sit the 2023 season out due to injury, and second-year forward Jace Wiebe (Langley, B.C.). Adokiene brings a keen ability to link up play and take his half-chances when they’re given to him, while Wiebe brings hold-up ability and finishing prowess at the number nine spot. Wiebe scored one goal in his rookie season through nine appearances – three of which were games started.
The wing also bears varied options such as Charles Nana (Calgary), Malcolm Kengni (Maple Ridge, B.C.), Christian Rossi, and Xander Roxburgh (Langley, B.C.) all being able to offer a different look for the Spartans. Nana potted four goals after appearing in all 16 games last season while Kengni offers a new look after appearing in six games throughout his rookie season in 2023. Roxburgh, who plays a late-game addition role in TWU’s attacking third, broke out with three goals and an assist in 15 games last season, giving Shearon yet another reliable option up front.
