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Canada West recognition for Heat trio

As a team, the UBC Okanagan Heat men’s soccer squad narrowly missed out on the Canada West playoffs.
Black Press Media
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Heat players Hamish Walde (left), Mitch McCaw and Sam McDonald. -Image: Ken Reid/Greystoke Photography

As a team, the UBC Okanagan Heat men’s soccer squad narrowly missed out on the Canada West playoffs.

Still, three members of the Heat men’s soccer squad were recognized for their individual exploits during the 2017 regular season.

Third-year defender Hamish Walde was named to the conference’s first all-star team, keeper Mitch McCaw was named to the second all-star squad, while Sam McDonald earned a spot on the Canada West all-rookie team.

Walde started every conference match for the Heat while leading the team with four goals. One of the highlights of Walde’s season came when the defender scored in stoppage time to beat the Victoria Vikes 1-0 on UBCO’s home turf.

McCaw came into his final year with great expectations after a superb last season and didn’t disappoint. McCaw set a Canada West record for most consecutive minutes without conceding a goal (685), while also leading the conference in save percentage (.877). During the middle part of the season when McCaw was unbeatable, he stopped 22 consecutive shots including a seven-save performance on the road against the Calgary Dinos.

An OKM grad, McDonald helped lead a solid Heat defense that only conceded 11 goals all season and was second only to the Alberta Golden Bears.

The Kelowna native started 12 of 15 games, including eight straight starts during the Heat’s strong middle part of the season. His first-career goal for the team came on Sept. 9 against Trinity when he tied the game in the 63rd minute.

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