CapU Blues soccer alum Birza, Artuso take places among CCAA greats
A pair of Blues soccer all-time greats are enshrined among the greatest to ever compete after being honoured at the CCAA's Hall of Fame banquet and ceremony in Kelowna last week.
Diana Artuso and Corey Birza, each the Blues all-time scoring leaders for their respective programs, accepted their Hall of Fame honours June 17 along with inductees from other PACWEST/BCCAA schools.
Artuso, who played three seasons with the Blues, from 1996 to 1998, scored 48 goals in 35 games for Capilano—a total that has not been threatened in the time since. More importantly for the Burnaby product is the pair of CCAA gold medals she won from 1996 and 1998. She and her teammates, under legendary Blues head coach and another CCAA Hall of Famer Doug Abercrombie, competed in three consecutive CCAA national title games, going gold-silver-gold over that span.
What she did not have in physical size she more than made up for in competitiveness and finish. Artuso's 19 goals in the 1998 season remains a Blues record and she led the CCAA National Championship tournament in scoring in both years she helped the Blues to gold. In the 1998 victory, she scored a hat trick, providing all the Blues goals in a 3-1 win over conference-rival University College of the Cariboo.
Artuso was named tournament MVP in both 1996 and 1998 and she was inducted into the Capilano Blues Hall of Fame as part of its inaugural class in 2024.
With the Blues men's side, Birza's 63 goals over five seasons has also proven an untouchable mark. The local North Vancouver product joined the Blues in 2004 and promptly set about claiming the primary striker position, an all-star nod and went on to win the conference Rookie of the Year award. He followed that with four more all-star seasons and took the CCAA Player of the Year honours in 2007.
Over his first four campaigns, the Blues were a dominant team but a CCAA title remained out of Birza's grasp. He would change that in his final year at Capilano as he and his teammates, under Blues Hall of Fame coach Paul Dailly, authored an improbable and thrilling comeback win over Algonquin College in the 2008 national gold-medal game. Trailing 3-1 at half time, the Blues managed five goals in the second half, including Birza's game winner in the late going, to deliver the sixth CCAA title in program history.
Birza's 19-goal season in the 2006 season remain a Capilano record. He was part of the inaugural class of Blues Hall of Fame inductees in 2024.
Submitted by: Communications