To prepare for the upcoming season of university soccer, the Carleton Ravens men’s soccer team is holding two summer training camps.
The first training camp, an open camp where anyone could attend and participate, was held at the end of April. This is known as an ‘ID camp.’ The best players from the April camp will be studied and identified before being chosen to attend the second camp at the end of May. Only a select few will be chosen to compete at May’s invite-only training camp, according to Ravens head coach Kwesi Loney.
“We have a lot of new faces coming in, but the new faces that are coming in are very experienced in terms of where they’ve played before,” Loney said. “Don’t get me wrong, we do have a number of kids coming straight out of high school for the roster this year, but we also have players that have been at Carleton for a couple years.”
At the second training camp, returning players and new players will train together and play in an exhibition game.
“I think the blend will be great, and it’s just a matter of how quickly we come together as a team in preseason and then have a good run in the regular season,” Loney said.
Expectations will be raised going into Loney’s second season as head coach of the Ravens and he said he likes the way his squad is shaping up.
“I’m very optimistic about the season and I think that the first year players and recruits that we have coming in will definitely have a positive impact,” Loney said.
One of the new faces next season will be Scott Mazzotta, who currently attends St. Francis Xavier High School in Ottawa, and has previously played for the Ottawa South United club.
Mazzotta said that the first camp created an “extremely competitive environment.”
“It was inviting and really enjoyable to play with the guys there. I already have a great connection with most of the guys on the team, and also with the coach Kwesi, so I just feel like it’s a perfect environment for me,” Mazzotta said. “I really think they have great facilities there and a great learning environment.”
The second camp will be held at Carleton from May 27-28.
Photo credits: File Photo
