AJEEJ Sarkaria has been named the Canada West men’s first star of the week for the period ending September 3 after his record-breaking weekend for the Alberta Golden Bears.
Sarkaria earned the conference honour after netting a trio of goals for Alberta, as he became the program leader in career points with 47. The third-year forward helped the Bears improve their CW record to 3-0-0, to sit atop the Canada West’s Prairie Division.
Sarkaria now moves forward as the conference nominee for the U SPORTS athlete of the week.
The 2016 CW Player of the Year set numerous records during a three-point weekend, as the Bears improved to 3-0-0 in conference play with wins over Saskatchewan and Lethbridge.
Sarkaria broke the Alberta program scoring record with the first of his two goals on Saturday, eclipsing the mark of 44 points set by former Bear Brett Colvin (2007-2011).
The third-year business student was also paramount in the Bears’ thrilling comeback win on Sunday over Lethbridge, scoring the game-winner in the 89th minute. The game-winner was the 11th of his career, which also set a new conference record.
Following his dominant weekend, Sarkaria is now fourth all-time in Canada West scoring with 47 points (30 goals, 17 assists) in 31 career conference games. The Bears will host both Calgary and Mount Royal in their first two games at home this weekend.
According to Sarkaria’s profile on Linkedin, he joined the FC Edmonton academy when he was 15 years old and through hard work and a passion for the game he achieved his dream and signed his first professional contract at 17 with FC Edmonton.
He writes: “I am currently a Student at Macewan University studying commerce with the hopes of majoring in Accounting. I was also offered a full ride scholarship to join the Mens soccer program.”
He states: “As I have grown older I have become more driven and ambitious in reaching my goals. I currently spend six months of the year playing soccer in Stockholm, Sweden. While pursuing my goals in sport I have also laid out goals for myself academically. As I entered BComm I became more and more facisnated by accounting and would like to pursue a career in it while also obtaining the designation of CPA.
“Throughout my career as a Professional Soccer player I have learned many skills such as teamwork, perseverance, and hard work. I have worked with many different people in various countries and it has helped me become more knowledgable about different cultures and developing meaningful relationships in the work environment.
“I am very driven and relentlessly strive towards the goals I lay out. My drive has helped me achieve my dream to become a Professional Soccer player and hopefully one day it can also help me become a Chartered Professional Accountant.”