Gill and Queens shutout Kodiaks

Brent Forster - RDC

Red Deer – In a defensive battle between the Red Deer College Queens and Lethbridge College Kodiaks Sunday afternoon, only one goal was the difference. Early in the first half, the Queens capitalized off of a fortunate bounce which held up as the game winner.

In the 6th minute, the RDC Queens took a corner kick which deflected off a Kodiaks defender past goalkeeper Brittany Klein for a 1 - 0 lead. High quality chances were few and far between.

RDC's Kayla Yeo had one of the better opportunities in the dying minutes. As time was winding down, the Bachelor of Kinesiology student nearly gave the Queens a 2 - 0 edge but her shot rattled off the crossbar. 

The Queens controlled the majority of the play over 90 minutes but both teams played technically sound defence, limiting each other's scoring opportunities. 

Queens Soccer Head Coach Esad Elkaz appreciated the Queens' compete level in the 1 - 0 victory. "The Lethbridge College Kodiaks are very talented and our Queens showed character today," says Elkaz. "A win is a win. We fought until the end and it's another three points in the standings."

Queens goalkeeper Erin Gill was outstanding in the game. The Bachelor of Education Science student made five saves, battled an injury, and was named the Player-of-the-Game for the RDC Queens. "Erin kept us in the game especially with that one fantastic save. She made many of them but that one that she pulled out from the free kick was world class," says Elkaz. "She played very well and made many saves that kept us in the game. She's a fighter and I'm happy for her."

Hanna Luskey, a first-year defender, received the award for the Lethbridge College Kodiaks.

Luskey and Gill

After five games, Elkaz is pleased with the results so far but still sees aspects of the Queens' game that need attention. "We have four wins so far, so it is much better than last year. This young group has to learn to be patient," says Elkaz. "They want to push the line and score right away. We have to learn those things. I hope the second half of the season will be even better."

One of the leaders on this talented Queens team, Jaden Humphrey, noted the importance of playing an up tempo, controlled game. "We really maintained our composure yesterday and today," says Humphrey. "We were able to get those quick one-two passes, send those through balls and our communication is looking good but we are still learning."

The Bachelor of Education Elementary student from Red Deer feels the connection to her teammates translates to success on the pitch. "Every Friday, we do something together whether it's at the corn maze, bowling or a movie night. This is my second family, it is everyone's second family," explains Humphrey. "It's so much easier to play with people who you're close with off the field as well. You're just way more comfortable out there and trust each other."

The third-year defender sees improvement in the Queens' play but wants to strive to be at the top. "We want to get the ball out of our feet quicker, keeping our head on a swivel. We definitely have to keep working on our speed of play. It's improving but we have to get it up there to beat teams like SAIT," says Humphrey. "We will go back into practice, work as hard as we can and troubleshoot everything that's going on. We record our games, so we will go over that and see what we need to work on and keep going."

Friday, September 28, the second place RDC Queens (4 - 1 - 0) will compete against the Ambrose University Lions (1 - 2 - 1) in Calgary at 4:00 p.m. At the RDC Main Field, the Queens will entertain the Lakeland College Rustlers (0 - 5 - 0), Sunday, September 30, at 12:00 p.m.