Strong Tigers representation in International Summer Series

Nine Dalhousie students got a taste of professional football last week, representing the Halifax Wanderers U21 team versus Wrexham A.F.C.'s U19 Academy team.

Yes, that Wrexham A.F.C.; the one that is owned by Ryan Reynolds and Rob MacElhenney and made famous in the show Welcome to Wrexham. Members of this academy team were featured in the most recent season of the show and saw action on the field in the Maritimes last week.

A strong Dalhousie contingent made up the roster, both on and off the field. Playing in the three game International Summer Series was current men's soccer players Ben Thompson, Mo Tolba, Ben Hashimoto, Mo Whadan and Sinclair Astridge. Joining them was incoming athlete Eliia Al-Shamlat and former Tiger Aidan Rushenas, who is now on a professional contract with the Wanderers first team. Rounding out the group was Tigers alum Luke Berryman, who has graduated from playing for the U21 team to now controlling the touchline as an assistant coach, and Gary Ohenassian in a strength and conditioning role.

"Anytime you can put players in a high-performance environment where they will be pushed and challenged and prepare them for international competition, it invaluable for their growth and development," says Tigers men's soccer head coach Alan Jazic. "To have a club on the rise like Wrexham to come and play and to give our players the opportunity to showcase their talents on that stage, in front of packed stadiums, is really exciting for them and for the younger generation coming after them. As a coach in the AUS, and for Dalhousie University, I'm excited for the players to return from that experience and take our program, and this league, to a higher level."

The series opened in Halifax on July 5 where the Wanderers team calmly dispatched the team from northern Wales with a convincing 3-0 result in front of a loud and sold-out Wanderers Grounds. This game marked the first time in modern history that any team has played for over 7200 soccer fans at the Grounds. Giving the Maritimers a taste of what crowds at professional games are like.

"The summer series has been a tremendous experience so far," says Tolba. "Playing in front of sold-out crowds at the Wanderers Grounds was a surreal experience and felt like a dream come true." In reverse, the Wrexham team got a taste for life at Dalhousie while in Halifax last week. Staying at LeMarchant Place Residence, the team ate in meal hall on campus and trained on Wickwire field and in the High Performance Room and took walks around the Halifax waterfront in their downtime.  "I think the Wanderers have done an incredible job at creating not only a professional environment but also playing environment as well," says Tolba. "I believe that each and every single player has tremendously developed between the start of the season to now in physical, mental, and technical aspects of the game which is a testament to their high standards and excellent training sessions." The teams then continued the series playing at UPEI in front of a record-breaking 1600 fans and earning a hard fought 1-0 win on Wednesday. The rubber match took place in Saint John, New Brunswick on Saturday. Tiger Mo Tolba scored the opening goal in the Wanderers 3-2 loss, with another record crowd cheering them on.