The Kings upset the Kodiaks for their biggest win of the season, Queens fall in defeat
Red Deer, October 8, 2023 – The Red Deer Polytechnic Kings swept the weekend with two consecutive victories after upsetting the Lethbridge College Kodiaks this afternoon. With this win and a Broncos loss, the Kings jump into a playoff spot.
The Queens were not so lucky as they fell to the Kodiaks earlier in the day with a very shortened bench due to injuries that happened in yesterday's match against the Medicine Hat College Rattlers.
Please refer below for more information regarding each match.
Women's Soccer – Lethbridge College Kodiaks 3 at Queens 1
The first real goal-scoring opportunity of the match came from Kodiaks striker Kyra Piekema (General Studies) who cut down from the sideline and fired a shot but was blocked by centre-back Kayla Yeo (Open Studies). Piekema would pick up the rebound, make a move into the middle and put another shot on net in the six-yard box but was stopped by keeper Abby Kotyk (Bachelor of Kinesiology).
The Kodiaks would open the scoring near the end of the first half. Winger Kenley Matishak (Academic Upgrading) would travel with the ball down the line before crossing it into the box. The cross found an open Montanna Rousselle who would volley it top corner past the Queens keeper to take the 1-0 lead.
Matishak would look for a goal of her own in injury time but was robbed by Kotyk to keep her team within one right before the half-time whistle was blown.
The Kodiaks looked for an insurance goal in the early goings of the second half as striker Raeleen Vanden Dungen (Early Childhood Education) fired one from outside the 18-yard box which gave Kotyk trouble but she managed to coral the rebound.
Lethbridge finally found their insurance goal off a free kick that was taken just outside the 18-yard box by centre-back Taylor Hyrcun (General Studies) who sniped the top corner of the net over the Queens wall.
Off a turnover in the Queens zone, Vanden Dungen found the back of the net off a great strike from outside the box to give Lethbridge a three-goal lead.
On their first shot of the game and on a penalty kick, Queens striker Paige Kalbfleisch (Bachelor of Science in Nursing) would put her team on the scoreboard as she placed the ball in the bottom corner of the net.
Head Coach Mahziar Peyrow explained he was quite impressed with how they played under the terrible circumstances
"I did not think the girls played too bad, to be honest. We were down personnel because of injuries. We had three key players who could not enter the game. Based on this, I thought we played well. Once they scored that second goal, it gave them confidence and deflated us. But we were still in it the whole time. We had our chances like we were one ball away from giving us a chance at a goal that could have tied it up."
The player of the game for the Kodiaks went to centre back Shelby Bach (Early Childhood Education) with the Queens awarding this honour to defence Payton Erick (Business Diploma).
The Polytechnic will be back at home next Saturday as they take on the SAIT Trojans with the Kodiaks next match in Lethbridge as they welcome the Ambrose University Lions on October 14.
Men's Soccer – Lethbridge College Kodiaks 0 at Kings 1
It was a traditional South Divisional match with the Kings and Kodiaks exchanging goal chances on both sides of the pitch but neither could find the back of the net.
At the end of the half, the teams were deadlocked at zero with the Polytechnic having the slight lead in chances with three.
The game's first prime opportunity came from winger Ashton Chipman (Bachelor of Science in Biological Sciences) who raced down the sideline then cut into the box before firing one on the net but Kodiaks goalkeeper Trey Lukye (Criminal Justice – Policing) came up big for his team on this partial breakaway and stopped the shot.
He gave off a rebound but immediately pounced on the loose ball before any Kings player had an opportunity to get a foot on it.
Chipman would end the 0-0 deadlock as he managed to outrun his opponent down the line. The winger would cut into the box and beat the goalkeeper in the point-blank opportunity to give the Kings the lead in the 64th minute.
In injury time, the Kings had the opportunity to add insurance but Lukye robbed Kings striker Grant Johnson (Legal Assistant) to keep Lethbridge in the match.
But the Kings managed to sneak away a victory from the Kodiaks with a 1-0 final.
Head Coach Admir Sarcevic explained it was very much a team effort in the win this afternoon.
"From the first minute, we moved the ball well. We put the pressure on the Kodiaks and the challenges were perfectly timed. It showed with the end result being a victory. We created lots of chances but could not capitalize which makes football so exciting."
The players of the game went to Lethbridge's centre-back Joel McLeod (Business Operations) and the Polytechnic's centre midfielder Gabriel Martins Fonseca (Open Studies). Both teams will be back in action next Saturday with the Kings taking on the SAIT Trojans in Red Deer and the Kodiaks battling with the Ambrose University Lions in Lethbridge.