June 21 Game Recap + Meet Jade Dillabough

Elise Coates
Jun 24
3 min read

The end of the season is near! Our squads faced off against the TSS Rovers this past weekend in the heat and are preparing for their final home game on Saturday June 27 at Q’unq’inuqwstuxw. TSS may have taken all the points home with them to the mainland, but NUFC player and VIU rookie Liam Howe was named to the BC Premier League’s Team of the Week after a great goal.

“The goal started from a good counterattack up the right side of the pitch,” Howe told us. “The ball went to Jimmy [Steel] in the middle, who played a great chip to Charlie [Smith], which was intercepted, landing in front of me for the finish and the 1-0 lead.”

The game was a hot one, and in the first half, we came out strong - we were strong on defence and were quick to move the ball up the field for the counter attack. The second half was a different story, as we were starting to burn out towards the 70th minute, giving them many opportunities to score.

Going into the final home game and their last two matches on the road, Howe noted that the team’s “goals for our last few games are to get as many points as we can to climb the table and finish strong, as well as to disrupt the top teams - we face Langley this coming weekend, hoping to strip 3 points off them.”

Liam Howe

MEET JADE DILLABOUGH

For quite a few of our players, last weekend was their final game of the season. We touched base with one of those players - Jade Dillabough. Jade has been a BCPL player for our club since the inaugural 2023 season, and this year, she took her commitment to the club one step further and has been working alongside our member services coordinator, helping with behind the scenes tasks and projects. Let’s get to know her:

Give us a quick overview - who are you?

I am from Calgary, where I played for South West United, and I am currently playing at VIU. I am going into my fifth year - I will be finishing my degree in psychology.

It was your last game - how did the season go? How did it compare to your previous 3 seasons?

I think this season was a lot different than my previous ones with this team, as there were a lot of new and younger players who I got to know and work with. This season also gave me the opportunity to learn from a new coach. I think this was a great way for me to develop as a player and I learned a lot.

Jade Dillabough

Describe what you do for the club and why you wanted to be more than just a player.

I work for NUFC as an administrative assistant, and it has really opened my perspective towards the great efforts that go on behind the scenes for this club. I feel super honoured to be a part of it and the community that has been created here. There is so much dedication and passion from all the staff members of NUFC and they truly make it such a special club to represent.

Any favourite stories or memories from the season?

Some of my favourite memories from this season are coach Fran [Fransisco Souza] teaching us new Spanish words, and his extremely memorable pre-game chat from the first away game of the season. It was equally motivating and funny.