Bezick Evraire has high expectations for veteran squad
Bezick Evraire is more excited to be a Tiger this season than he’s been in the past three years. That’s because he sees a whirlwind of potential for the developed team put together by head coach Pat Nearing.
“My sincere expectation would be to at least make it to the (AUS) finals,” he says, “we’ve got so many guys here that are capable of playing various roles, and guys that can adapt if guys get injuries, and guys that can just overall play.”
The left-winger from Ottawa, whose soccer resume includes the Ottawa Fury U16 and U17 teams and the Toronto FC Youth Academy, is entering his fourth year of eligibility with the Tigers.
He credits the team’s hard work in the off-season and preseason, as well as their previous experience playing together on Dal and club teams, for their high potential.
“A lot of the guys played together over the summer so we’re used to playing with each other and we’re actually a developed squad now.”
Though Evraire is not one of the co-captains, which is held by striker Tyler Lewars and centre back Mark Hagen, he embraces his role as a leader on the team.
“I still get called on to help make decisions and help organize things even though I’m not one of the certified captains,” he says.
With the Tigers only losing two players, Jordan Mannix and co-captain Nathan Rogers, Evraire said the transition hasn’t been as difficult as it has been in previous years.
“It’s hard to lose a symbol like (Rogers),” he says. “He’s a guy who is very composed in the middle and is a great captain and it’s hard to fill that void. But I feel like Lewars and Hagan as captains have done a good job so far at filling that.”
Evraire, who was awarded second-team all-star status last year, believes experience is crucial to being successful in the AUS.
“We have a lot of guys going into their third, fourth, and fifth years,” he says. “We should be able to handle with pressure and play at a level that we’re capable of.”
But the team is not only stacked with veterans. Evraire credits some of the team’s young guns, including Isaiah McCullough and Jacob DaCosta, to have the ability to step up if need be.
“(McCullough) has really good technical ability and you can tell he’s played at a high level before,” he says. “(DaCosta) could also definitely step up in a starting role if someone were to get hurt.”
Even though the Tigers were able to skid by with a shootout win over Acadia in the semifinals of the AUS Championships last year, they were unable to recuperate and overcome injury woes in the semifinals, losing to the Saint Mary’s Huskies 4-1 the next day. Evraire believes if the team is able to stay healthy, they have a legitimate chance to take home the title.
“As long as we play like we can play and we don’t collapse, we’ll be fine.”
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