Local soccer star added to UNBC Timberwolves Wall of Honour

“Owen came in as a starter in his very first year and never looked back,” says coach Steve Simonson. “He was immediately a versatile attacking player for us. You could see how much pride he had in playing for his hometown team.”

Stewart finished that season in third for the number of goals made by a T-Wolf player, trailing only program leaders Tofa Fakunle and Francesco Bartolillo. Fakunle and Bartolillo both helped shape the young midfielder’s career.

“Immediately, Owen showed he was determined to earn his stripes within our program. He was considered a good recruit, but we had some really good recruits coming in from around BC. I don’t know if any of us expected the local boy to emerge like he did,” said Bartolillo. “It’s not easy to score goals in your first year. He played heavy minutes for us and found a way to impact a lot of games, despite playing out of position. That rookie season set a solid foundation for what would become an amazing U SPORTS career.”

His last season took place in 2021/22. Stewart shined as a senior where on September 25, he helped lead his team to a comeback against the UBC Thunderbird in Vancouver. With just ten minutes on the clock the Timberwolves where down 3-0, but the Prince George product who propelled the T-wolves to a comfortable 3-3 draw after scoring a pair of goals.

After starting all eight of the Timberwolves’ games, Stewart suffered a leg injury in a matchup with the UBCO Heat. In spite of the pain, Stewart continued to play through the game, continue training and started the following weekend against the UFV Cascades. It was only after the game that an x-ray revealed that his leg had been broken the entire time.

“He trained for a week and started a U SPORTS game with a broken leg. He was that determined to give, literally, everything he had to the team and to the program,” said Bartolillo, who was serving as an assistant coach that season. “Ask me who I would want to go to war with on the field, and I would point straight to Owen Stewart.”

Stewart ended his career sitting second in program games with 69, top-five in Canada West history. In addition Stewart was top five in goals, assists, points, and game winning goals.

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Email: sam.bennison@pattisonmedia.com

by CKPG TODAY

Local soccer star added to UNBC Timberwolves Wall of Honour

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