KELOWNA, B.C. – The UBCO Heat men's soccer team gets their 2022 Canada West season underway on Friday night, August 26, as they kick off the year with their home opener against the Victoria Vikes.

Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. at Nonis Field and the first 100 fans in attendance will receive a pair of UBCO Heat-branded sunglasses.

The Heat, under the guidance of head coach Dante Zanatta, who is entering his 12th year with the program, are coming off a season in which they posted a 2-6-4 record, narrowly missing out on the playoffs on the last weekend of the year.

They face a Victoria squad that has seen a change at head coach following the retirement of long-time head coach Bruce Wilson. Larry Stefanek comes into the role this season and will look to replicate the success of last year's team that led the West division with a 6-3-3 record before losing in the Canada West final to the UBC Thunderbirds.

Friday's game will mark the return of former Heat captain Sam McDonald, who is playing in his final year of eligibility while attending law school in Victoria. The defender ranks second in UBCO history with seven goals while his 49 games started with the Heat is the seventh most in program history.

With the season set to get underway, here are the storylines to follow with this year's edition of the Heat:

YOUTH MOVEMENT

The Heat enter the year with only three players on their roster who have at least three years of playing experience at the Canada West level, meaning Coach Zanatta will be relying heavily on the program's youth to lead the way.

Names that UBCO fans should familiarize themselves with that could make a big impact this year include rookies Julian Pascual, Braeden Hildebrandt and Matteo Bigattini, along with second year's Malachi Emerson and Jacobo Saenz Ramos.

INTERNATIONAL FLAIR

While the majority of the Heat's roster calls British Columbia home, there will be a distinct international flair to the make-up of this year's team. UBCO will boast two players from Mexico, including Saenz Ramos and NCAA transfer Juan Pablo Rojas Uribe from the Washington Huskies, along with Pascual from France and Hildebrandt from California.

LEAGUE 1 IMPACT

The continued growth of men's soccer across Canada saw the launch of League 1 Canada this past summer and the Heat were well represented with four current roster members competing one of the three leagues, BC, Ontario and Quebec, in the country.

Captain Aidan Tuck competed for Ottawa South United in the Premiere Ligue de soccer du Quebec (PLSQ) while Josh Bhandal, Jonah Quarry and Tyson Gugushe all suited up for TSS FC Rovers in League 1 BC.

The experience all four gained with their programs will be beneficial to UBCO this season as they bring that semi-professional experience back to Kelowna.