Dalhousie football club looks for redemption at homecoming

The undefeated Dalhousie University Tigers have their calendars circled for Sept. 26’s homecoming game against the Saint John Falcons.

“It’s important that we’re going to bring all our energy back to this game,” says Ethan Lord, a fourth-year kinesiology student and wide receiver. “It should be a fun game, and hopefully [the fans] can reciprocate and bring the energy.”

Beginning the season on a road trip didn’t slow down the championship-defending Tigers, as they defeated the Reds and the Holland College Hurricanes by a combined score of 57-0. 

The team’s only loss last season was to the Reds at homecoming. This year, they’re aiming to redeem themselves at the Tigers’ biggest game of the year on their home turf to remain undefeated.

“That was a pretty big takeaway for the group and a feeling that we don’t want to feel again,” says Eric Grant, a defensive back for the Tigers and second-year recreation management student. 

“We’re not going in there thinking that it’s going to be an easy game,” says Dante Gabrielli, a fourth-year business management student. “We’re going to go in there knowing that we’re going to win this game because we have prepared.” 

Gabrielli will be viewing the game from a different part of the field, as he has switched positions from quarterback to linebacker heading into the season.

“It’s a whole different atmosphere,” he says. “On an energy level, it was very tough, but I think I’m transitioning very well, and I got a lot to learn going forward.”

As for the team, Lord and Gabrielli both say the roster has a young core this year. 

“As much as it’s a new group of people together, the culture at Dal stays the same,” says Lord. “We’re the hardest workers, and that’s what we pride ourselves on.”

Gabrielli says the recruiting class has stepped up and done a great job to fill the positions and the roles they’ve had. 

“Even with our young team, there’s still an expectation that we have to continue to grow and build past what we had last year,” he says. “It’s always progressing every day, and that’s super important for our team.”