Brent Mutis
CapU Blues sports info
As senior season finales go, after a difficult season, it was about as good a sendoff as you could have.
In the closing seconds of Sunday’s season-ending game at Langara College, Kai Belbin took advantage of a miscommunication off a short corner kick between two Langara players, turned upfield and unleashed a desperation boot that found Sophie Pather in the Falcons' end of the park. Pather deflected the ball past the final defender, sped to the edge of the area and deftly beat the keeper between the wickets to secure a 1-1 draw.
The referee’s whistle sounded seconds after the subsequent kickoff from midfield, and the game was over, the final contest of fine Blues careers for Belbin and fellow captain Lauren Grey. The pair had been honoured Saturday after a 3-0 loss to first-place Vancouver Island University (VIU) played at CapU Squamish.
Capilano began the season 0-5 but went 1-2-4 over their final seven games, making remarkable improvements. The example left by Grey and Belbin will shape the team into the future.
The pair played their rookie seasons together in 2021, helping the Blues to the PACWEST provincial title. In the following seasons, they’ve been part of first-place teams and have been part of two CCAA National Championship tournaments.
The respect and admiration their teammates felt for their senior captains was obvious Saturday in Squamish. Even their opponents from VIU stuck around in the rain to see Grey and Belbin receive their grad gifts and take photos with their family and teammates.
It’s easy to see why. After five seasons, considering the wins, losses and other highs and lows, the time and effort they spent made them worthy captains this season, and they leave the team and the Blues family some big soccer boots to fill.
