69传媒

If the exhibition results are any indication, the 69传媒Women鈥檚 Soccer Panthers should be a fun team to watch this season.

Head coach Lewis Page was pleased to watch his team finish the preseason slate with a 2鈥�2鈥�0 record, including impressive wins against St. FX and UNB鈥攖wo teams expected to sit atop the Atlantic University Sport (AUS) standings.

The biggest difference Page has seen from his squad since becoming their coach in 2020 has been their drive to win.

鈥淭hey鈥檝e really raised their competitive desire to a higher level, and it鈥檚 exciting to watch,鈥� he said.

Veteran players like Tyffanie Bordage, Laura Burge, Lauren Clark, Madison Hurley, and Rachel Green, for example, have a renewed sense of purpose after dealing with a revolving door of coaching staffs in recent years.

鈥淭hey want to prove what they鈥檙e capable of,鈥� Page said. 鈥淚 think they feel like they haven鈥檛 shown the league what they鈥檙e truly capable of, and this is their opportunity to do it.鈥�

Working with three different coaches鈥攅ach with their own philosophy鈥攊n four years would be tough on any athlete, but Page, who also coaches the men鈥檚 team, may be the fit they鈥檝e been looking for all along.

鈥淭he biggest difference with Lewis as our coach is the experience he brings. It鈥檚 like he always knows exactly what to say in every situation, whether good or bad,鈥� Bordage said. 鈥淗e seems to always find a way to get the message across effectively. I鈥檝e learned so much from him already, and I believe he鈥檚 given us a winning mindset.鈥�

That winning mentality was on full display last week when they outscored St. FX and UNB by a combined score of 6鈥�3, while creating several other scoring opportunities. It would be understandable if long-time fans did a double take when scouring through the scores. That offensive firepower, while a welcome sight, just hasn鈥檛 been seen in a while.

Page said he wants his team to play a fast and aggressive style instead of waiting for the opposition to strike, and so far, it has paid off.

鈥淲e鈥檙e going to play a high-tempo game,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e want to make life uncomfortable for the opposition when we don鈥檛 have the ball, and when we have it, we鈥檙e going to get to the net as quickly as we can.鈥�

Still, the youthful Panthers must find a way to be more consistent. While the first two preseason games ended on a high, the last two ended in shutouts.

鈥淲e鈥檝e been really good in stretches, but we need to keep that standard up for a longer period,鈥� Page said. 鈥淭he fact that we kept fighting until the end of each of those games was a huge plus.鈥�

While stats and numbers are fun to dissect and analyze, the true strength of Page鈥檚 team may be what comes from within and the connection the players formed during a lost COVID-19 season.

鈥淲e have a strong team bond, and we鈥檙e going to continue to support and push each other to be our very best,鈥� said Burge, who will lead the defensive group in her fourth year with the club.

With a new approach on the field and a strong belief off it, the Panthers hope to finally break that six-year playoff drought. And for veterans like Burge, a taste of the postseason would be a great bookend to a career.

鈥淭his is the strongest team we鈥檝e had in my time at UPEI, and the girls are prepared to do whatever it takes to get there,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 definitely going to take a lot of discipline, but we鈥檙e going to take things one game at a time and focus on what we do well.鈥�