If change was the goal, Ruby Nicholas is the leading scorer. The rising soccer star moved from Quesnel to Vancouver Island, jumped from Correlieu Secondary to the University of Victoria, from one position to another and then another again, changed the profile of her game from defence to offence, and perhaps most notably went from training almost alone to surrounded by other players.
These adjustments would melt the resolve of many small-town kids. It has instead fuelled Nicholas. In her first year of varsity soccer, playing mostly off the bench as a rookie, and moved to the striker position from her lifelong centre-midfield position, she led the UVic Vikes in goals (4). Her first one – she remembers it well – came near the end of a game she hadn’t gotten into until an 80th minute substitution, down by a score of 2-0. Nicholas blasted the shutout for the team and herself as a player, and she still revels in the thrill of that teammate mob when the ball went in.
This year, moved again, this time to the right wing, she led the entire conference in assists (9 – the next nearest on her Vikes team was 4) and chipped in another four goals (third on the team behind Erin Jensen and Emma Skalik).
The 13-point total placed her tops on the Vikes and fifth overall in points for Canada West female soccer.
Each time she handles the ball with that university jersey on, she is reminded of all the family efforts and personal commitment to reach this lofty pitch. She is in elite company, and it all started back at four years old in Quesnel, playing in the youth house league, earning her way onto the rep team, and eventually making the long drives twice a week to Prince George for additional training in the Epic Timberwolves academy program.
It was when COVID hit that she truly separated herself from most of her peers.
“We weren’t allowed to train in-person,” she said. “I would go to the field most days and train by myself, doing cone drills, shooting, and juggling on my own. A lot of the time, I would go over to the soccer fields in my lunch hour at school to practice. I focused a lot on running as well, since it’s something that I’ve always enjoyed and is easily done individually. In my last years of high school when Covid restrictions lifted, I also played in the adult soccer league in Quesnel, which was really fun and a great way for me to keep playing small sided games.”
She was involved in cross-country running and basketball, among other sports at school. She feels they all played a roll in propelling her soccer career.
“I really credit my coaches throughout high school with pushing me to be a better athlete and am really thankful for all the time and effort they put into coaching, travelling, and planning, especially in a small town where athletic opportunities can be minimal at times,” she said.
“Since I didn’t have a regular club team in my later years in high school, I actually came into UVic without having really played true 11-a-side soccer consistently in years. This is pretty unusual in terms of university soccer; every other person on my team had played BCSPL (Premier League, the highest level of B.C. youth soccer) or the equivalent in other provinces. It felt like a huge privilege to be able to train and play full field games with 30 teammates at a much higher level, but it took some time getting adjusted after really having trained by myself for quite a while.”
Her Vikes squad ended the 2023 regular season with a record of 8-4-2 putting them into the playoffs, tied for third in the Canada West Pacific Conference and ranked 11th in Canada in the U-Sports national female soccer listings. They also got two losses and two ties in the first five games of the season out of their psychological way, beating higher ranked UBC and Trinity Western to close out October, both by shutout.
She also ranked highly – an “A” average – on the scholastic scoresheet, attaining Academic All-Canadian status. She is working towards a science degree, majoring in anthropology. Perhaps higher levels of soccer are in her future as well, she is excited by the international possibilities, but for now she is focused on all that school, the city of Victoria, and her Vikes team can offer a northern girl from the small town of Quesnel – small, but instructive and inspirational.
“I want to emphasize to anyone who might one day want to play a college sport that coming from a small town often makes it more difficult, but it’s definitely not impossible and is really worth it if you’re passionate about it.”
In playoff action, Nicholas and her Vikes team won versus the University of the Fraser Valley Cascades in penalty kicks, then beat MacEwan University 1-0 (Nicholas getting an assist) to punch their ticket to the Canada West final four. They play the Trinity Western Spartans on Nov. 4 in the semi-finals, with the championship game set for Nov 4-5.
READ MORE: Regional soccer team wins gold in Burnaby
READ MORE: Quesnel’s Nicholas sisters impress in X-Country season opener
Source: https://www.quesnelobserver.com/sports/quesnel-soccer-student-scoring-points-grades-at-uvic-6832049
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