Durham Lords take semis, Kings in the mix for national bronze

Brent Forster - RDC

Oshawa, Ontario - The Red Deer College Kings are still in the hunt for a national medal at the Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) Men's Soccer National Championship.

The Kings gave it their all, but were edged 2-0 by the host Durham College Lords in the national semi-finals. The RDC Kings have an opportunity to bring home CCAA bronze, but will have to win their two remaining games.

It was a conservative start to the game, with both sides paying close attention to the defensive details. 

The Kings hard-working backline took a hit when six-foot-two defender Kristofer Grobmeier was injured in the 32nd minute. In Grobemeier's absence, Turner Johnson really stepped up.

Before the end of the half, the Durham College Lords took the lead. Third-year midfielder Jose Flores took advantage of a free kick in the 44th minute, sending his strike high past the hands of Kings goalkeeper Jacob Hamilton. 

The Lords capitalized four minutes into the second half. 

Ajaz, Ontario's Joshua Lee corralled the ball off his chest and quickly released from the top of the box, directing his shot into the right side of the net.

Durham College was content with playing conservatively for the remainder of the contest. In the 80th minute, the Lords subbed out a midfielder for their fifth defender and the home team rode out the clock, wrapping up a 2-0 decision and a spot in the finals. They will clash with the Vancouver Island University (VIU) Mariners for gold on Saturday at 4:30 p.m. EST.

Turner Johnson worked tirelessly and picked up the 4imprint Kings Player-of-the-Game. Tyreik Bryan received the award for Durham College.

On Friday, November 8, the RDC Kings will face the Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec (RSEQ) gold medal winning Champlain College Saint-Lambert Cavaliers at 12:30 p.m. EST in the bronze semi-final. The Cavaliers shutout the Lethbridge College Kodiaks 3-0 in the bronze medal quarter-final earlier on Thursday.