Kings and Kodiaks draw even, RDC holds playoff fate in their own hands

Brent Forster - RDC

Red Deer, AB – Despite a scoreless game between the Red Deer College Kings and Lethbridge College Kodiaks, there was plenty of excitement at RDC Main Field Saturday afternoon.

The Kings' best opportunity came in the 37th minute. Brazil's Gabriel Fleury de Queiroz was awarded a penalty kick, but Kodiaks goalkeeper Cody Ferguson made a huge outstretched save, keeping the contest scoreless. Shortly after, the RDC Kings were down a player for the remainder of the game.

In the 58th minute, Lethbridge College had a chance to take an edge. Taber's Owen Beers fired a hard shot, but it rattled off the crossbar.

The teams traded chances as time wound down, but neither side could convert.

Kings Head Coach Wade Groenewegen felt the performance could spark the team for the final regular season game on Sunday.

"We showed some resilience that we haven't shown in the last couple games. We kind of lost ourselves, so hopefully today is a sign that we found ourselves again," he says. "We played 60 minutes down a man, so zero-zero in some ways feels like a win. There's something to build off of there."

Second-year midfielder Gabriel Martins Fonseca was named the Collegiate Sports Medicine Kings Player-of-the-Game. Fifth-year defender Joel Arrieus received the honour for the Kodiaks.

Gabriel Martins Fonseca (7)

"Gabriel had huge mobility and work. Especially in a game where we're down, he just ate up the midfield," says Groenewegen. "He just covered ground and made sure he was in the way defensively, and he was part of the breakout offensively. That was a super game from him."

Kings goalkeeper Jacob Hamilton made four saves. Ferguson also stopped four shots. 

Jacob Hamilton

On Sunday, October 20, the Kings (6-3-2) will host the Medicine Hat College Rattlers (4-4-2) at RDC Main Field at noon in the final regular season game. The RDC Kings realize a victory will seal a spot in the postseason.

"Win and you're in. That's all that there's to it. It's playoffs for us from now on," says Groenewegen. "If we win tomorrow, we play next weekend. Every game then will be, if we win today, we play tomorrow. That's where we want to be and maybe we can take advantage of that."