Halifax Wanderers defenders Colin Gander (University of Guelph) and Kareem Sow (Université de Montréal) have returned to their respective universities ahead of the upcoming U SPORTS soccer season and fall academic term.

Gander, a 2022 CPL-U SPORTS draft pick, made 17 appearances for the Wanderers between the CPL and the Canadian Championship.

“Colin has been another good find in the U SPORTS system and further proof why this pathway works well,” sporting director Matt Fegan said. “Since day one, he has been excellent in our group and earned valuable first-team minutes. With one year left to complete his studies and graduate in 2023, we respected his desire to fulfill his academic aspirations, and we’re grateful for his contribution this season. We’ll now have a chance to consider him for future seasons with us once his academics are done.”

Sow, a 2021 selection, made five appearances in the 2022 season, his second for the club. The 21-year-old defender had already played in 11 matches during the 2021 season.

“Kareem has continued to perform well in our club, albeit in a slightly condensed season,” Fegan said. “He joined the group late as we supported his commitment to his ongoing studies, which had to be in class until the end of April. As we saw last year, Kareem showed excellent professionalism coming into the squad and competing for minutes which will only help his development. We’ll continue to support his balance of football with his studies and hope to continue working with him in future seasons.”

Both players were signed to U SPORTS developmental contracts for the 2022 season and have agreed to give the Wanderers first rights of refusal for additional contracts in the 2023 season, foregoing their need to enter the 2023 CPL U SPORTS draft. The partnership between the Canadian Premier League and U SPORTS allows a student-athlete with one to five years of U SPORTS eligibility remaining to sign with a CPL Club while preserving their eligibility before returning to U SPORTS competition.