The two-time PACWEST champion Douglas Royals men’s soccer team are putting the final preparations together for the CCAA national championship which opens on Wednesday in Calgary.

The Royals open the tournament against the George Brown Huskies from Ontario at 6:30pm PST. Weather could play a factor on Wednesday with daytime highs of only +6 which will no doubt be colder come game time.

The Huskies are the wildcard berth from Ontario after losing the gold medal game to the Humber Hawks 4-0. During the regular season they finished 2-4 and even allowed more goals than they scored 12-18. However things changed in the Ontario Conference championship tournament when they upset the second seeded Seneca Sting to earn a spot in the gold medal game. Their top two scorers, Anas El-Bogi and Yonis Jama each scored three goals in the regular campaign.

The Royals left this tournament empty handed in 2019 and have high hopes to change their fortunes this time around. Their last national medal was silver in 2017 when the tournament was hosted at VIU. They have never won a national title, but neither have the Huskies. As a matter of fact the Huskies are playing in their first ever CCAA national championship tournament.