Coules scores twice, Queens earn 5 - 0 victory over Rattlers

Brent Forster - RDC

Red Deer - The Red Deer College Queens weren't pleased with the result in Calgary last week, but they used that experience as a lesson and motivating factor heading into Saturday's game against the Medicine Hat College Rattlers.

The RDC Queens captured an early lead and kept their foot on the gas as they rolled to a dominant 5 – 0 home victory. Both teams agreed to play two 35 minute halves with light snow falling and the temperature hovering around zero degrees Celsius.

The Queens took control early and in the 9th minute, Emilee Kronbauer capitalized on an open net. Kayla Yeo started the play from the right and Kronbauer, a Bachelor of Kinesiology student, was well-positioned in front to put the Queens up 1 – 0.

Emilee Kronbauer (10) opened the scoring

The RDC Queens kept pressuring the Rattlers defence. Around three minutes later, Crossfield's Haley Nassichuk-Dean pushed the Queens up by a pair with a solid strike past the Rattlers goalkeeper, Kassidy Suberlak. The RDC Queens dominated zone time and ball possession in the opening half.

Then RDC's Alisha Coules took over with two consecutive goals in the second half. The first-year Bachelor of Arts Psychology student scored in the 46th and 67th minute to give RDC a 4 - 0 edge. On her second strike, Coules, found herself in alone on the Rattlers goalkeeper and beat her with a low shot. Shortly after, Emily Richard locked down a 5 - 0 home win in the 69th minute.

Queens Soccer Head Coach Esad Elkaz appreciated the bounce back performance. "It was a much different game from last week when we came up short against SAIT," says Elkaz. "The Queens were so motivated this week. Everybody has a bad game and last week was a bad game, but we came back nicely. The ladies were upset from last week and they played well today."

An increased pace has been a focus for Elkaz and the Queens. "We talked about the speed of the play last time and we can see that the speed is getting there," says Elkaz. "It was good."

Alisha Coules, a first-year forward, was chosen as the Player-of-the-Game for the Queens and Kaylei Hole, a second-year defender, received the honour for the Rattlers.

"I've known Alisha for the past 15 years and she's in the right spot at the right time," says Elkaz. "She has a feeling for the game and she's a natural striker which is a bonus for our team this year, and for the years to come."

Despite some challenging conditions, Coules liked her team's performance. "The snow made it a little bit more difficult but we mold our play to the weather. Given the weather, I think we did well," says Coules. "Every game is a learning curve and we bring lessons from wins and losses, and we applied them here."

Coules noted that quickness and team cohesion were keys in the victory. "We increased our pace in the second half. We are just building and I think that we are going in the right direction," says Coules. "Today, balls were sent to the right places so I think that we are starting to read each other a lot better. The chemistry is building and it is looking good."

Sunday, the third place Red Deer College Queens (3 - 1 - 0) will host the fourth seeded Lethbridge College Kodiaks (2 - 1 - 1) at 12:00 p.m. in Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference (ACAC) Women's Soccer South Division action.