CALGARY – The University of Calgary Dinos are set to open the 2017 season on home turf this weekend as they take on the MacEwan Griffins Saturday followed by the Alberta Golden Bears Sunday.

Both games go at 2:15 p.m. at the West Varsity Soccer Pitch on the UCalgary campus.

After an impressive year for the Dinos in 2016, the offseason brought significant change to the roster. Graduating players Dominic Russo, Robin Whittaker and Dominik Zator have left the regulars and fresh recruits with big shoes to fill.

"We're going through a transition where the senior boys left and did unbelievable for the program," said head coach Brendan O'Connell. "Those boys have been replaced with young boys that potentially can be as good."

Recruits like defender Sam Gagne, midfielder Jeff Spolnik and forward Mason Ogoke are amongst the recruits who are expected to insulate the new, budding core of the squad, led primarily by second-year midfielder Bori Falaye – the reigning Canada West rookie of the year – second-year midfielder Leonardo Culina, and third-year defender Jared Fillo. 

In the case of Falaye, who finished second in team scoring as a rookie, O'Connell and his staff have high expectations for the young dynamo.

"He's progressed from last year, which is going to make him even better, and this is the challenge he's going to have" said O'Connell. "Once you get to a position he's got to, what he's done has been forgotten and he's got to be ready for a new challenge. We're expecting a lot from him, but in saying that, he has the ability to not disappoint."

For the latest wave of recruits, they represent a group of talent that comes primarily from the local region in and around Calgary.

"We support the local boys that are here in this city. We're excited that these boys want to stay in the city. We're pleased that they want to stay here and be a part of what we're trying to do," O'Connell added.

For O'Connell, entering his third season as the head coach, he is looking to build off two strong regular seasons that saw his teams earning a win in 75 per cent of their games, sporting an overall record of 17-6-5.

That work has not gone unnoticed by the conference coaches, who handed the Dinos the No. 4 ranking in the Canada West preseason coaches poll. The two teams they'll face this weekend bookend that poll: MacEwan was ranked 13th in the 13-team league, while Alberta topped the rankings, earning nine of 13 first-place votes after winning the national title last year.

2017 CW men's soccer pre-season coaches poll
Place / Team / Points (First-place votes)
1.    Alberta / 141 (9)
2.    UBC / 136 (4)
3.    Trinity Western / 112
4.    Calgary / 93
5.    Mount Royal / 82
6.    *Fraser Valley / 81    
7.    Thompson Rivers / 81    
8.    Saskatchewan / 76    
9.    Victoria / 74    
10.    *Lethbridge / 39    
11.    UBCO / 39    
12.    UNBC / 35    
13.    MacEwan / 25

NOTES: First-place vote worth 12 pts., second-place worth 11 pts. etc. / *Awarded higher position based on greater number of higher placed votes.    

-UC-