Dalhousie University grad Eric Pinfold was back at his alma mater in Halifax last month for a team induction into the Nova Scotia Provincial Sports Hall of Fame.
Pinfold played midfield on the 1995 Dalhousie Tigers Men’s Soccer Team, which is the first and only Nova Scotia men’s university soccer team to win the Canadian Inter-university Sport (CIS) championship.
“It was a regular season that was undefeated – not a single loss in the CIS championships in Trois-Rivières, Québec,” Pinfold said. “Then we beat the Alberta Golden Bears in the finals.”
The Tigers beat the Golden Bears 3-1 in the middle of a snowstorm.
“It was just the coming together of a great team and good training and a good cohesive unit. That was it,” Pinfold said. “We had qualified for the nationals in the past, but no one had ever won the nationals.”
Pinfold’s team played a friendly match against other Dalhousie alumni when they reunited for the hall of fame induction.
“It was good seeing everyone at Sport Nova Scotia – the soccer Nova Scotia facilities – and going into the changing room,” Pinfold said. “Our old manager was there handing out uniforms. It was just like we were playing 20 years ago. It was really fun.”
Other inductees included two Olympic/Paralympic medalists: Ray Downey and Andrew Haley.
Pinfold’s team was also inducted into the Dalhousie Hall of Fame in the spring.
After graduation, Pinfold moved to Vancouver to further his education at the Vancouver Film School and he now lives in Roberts Creek with his wife Kara and three children. He works at Coast Reporter and as a freelance graphic designer.
