Veteran three in their fifth

By Daniel Nugent-Bowman

nuge0020@algonquincollege.com

The Algonquin College men’s soccer team is off to its fifth straight national championship and three players have been to each one.

Midfielder Loui Legakis, defender Stephane LeMay, and keeper Tristan Roscoe have made facing off against out of province opponents an annual traditional.

“It gets better every time,” said Legakis after winning the provincial championship. “I couldn’t ask for anything better. I’m speechless right now. This one is the best one.”

Legakis and his teammates are hoping to make things even better. The Thunder will travel to Kamloops, B.C. Nov. 5-8 and will be looking for a little redemption after coming second a year ago.

“Last year we lost in the national final and it’s the reason that I’m back this year,” said Roscoe. “If we had won last year I don’t think I would be here this year. We’re here to get a job done.”

Head coach Mike Caruso is thankful to have such a veteran presence on his team and knows how vital they are to past and any future success this season.

“They took us here,” he said. “They’ve been there done that. It’s so important to have guys like that steer the ship. They help out the guys who feel the pressure. They are leaders on the pitch for sure.”

While Roscoe has part of the 2006 team that won gold in Vancouver, he has also been a bridesmaid three total times. The experiences have left him wanting more.

“This is my fifth provincial championship and I’ve been asked if there’s increased pressure,” he said. “The reason the pressure is up for me personally is that it is my last year. So there’s that pressure to go out as a winner.”