CHARLOTTETOWN, P.E.I. — UPEI men’s soccer coach Lewis Page may have found his midfielder of the future in Ottawa native Kasper Lasia.
Lasia joins a team that suddenly became young at a pivotal position with Nacho Sanchez and Lucas Ross graduating, but Page is confident in the young footballer.
“Kasper is a real box-to-box midfielder,” he said. “He’s good in the air, he can defend and he’s an excellent passer of the ball.”
With Lasia’s strong passing skills and ability to orchestrate the offence, he will be counted on to get the ball to veteran forwards Mohammad Jaber and Cohen Reddick-Stevens so they can inflict some damage.
“I‘m a tidy player who can keep the ball well in position,” said the former Ottawa TFC midfielder. “I find myself in good positions and read the game well, both offensively and defensively.”
Lasia will join a Panthers team coming off 5-5-2 season, good for sixth place in the Atlantic University Sport (AUS). After defeating third-ranked UNB 2-1 in overtime in the quarter-final, UPEI lost 3-1 to second-place St. FX in the semifinal.
Lasia’s greatest strength may be his versatility. The 18-year-old can play anywhere in the midfield and is comfortable around the pitch.
“I heard the game is played more physically in the AUS, so that’s something I’m expecting,” he said. “My goals heading to the season are to play my role as a part of the team and do everything I can to help make another playoff appearance.”
Lasia said he was impressed by what UPEI had to offer when he visited the campus.
“At UPEI, I’m not just joining a school; I’m joining a community. After spending a full weekend there, I was astonished with how positive the environment was and I was impressed with the facilities, too,” he said. “I also had a strong connection with coach Page and value having someone as experienced as him believe in me.”
– Compiled by Thomas Becker for UPEI
