Queens push first place Trojans, but drop home contest despite solid effort

Brent Forster - Red Deer Polytechnic Athletics

Red Deer, AB – Coming into Friday's contest against the undefeated SAIT Trojans, the Red Deer Polytechnic Queens Soccer team knew that it would be a battle.

The Red Deer Polytechnic Queens worked hard and pressed first place SAIT, but couldn't solve Trojans goalkeeper Erin Mergen. SAIT wrapped up a 2-0 decision. 

"I thought that the Queens played well. I asked them to manage the middle to close down on SAIT's three strongest players, and they did that," said Mahziar Peyrow, Red Deer Polytechnic Queens Soccer Head Coach. "The Queens gave them nothing and those girls hardly touched the ball."

In a technically sound first half, neither side could convert their opportunities into an early lead.

Queens goalkeeper Danyelle Bouvier, a first-year Bachelor of Science Nursing student, made one save over the opening 45 minutes. Mergen, a first-year SAIT Business Administration student, turned aside two shots at the half.

Three minutes into the latter half, the Trojans broke the stalemate. First-year midfielder Alyssa MacPhail made a pass out front of the Queens' net and Calgary's Meaghan Wiebe quickly found the top right corner.

In the 59th minute, SAIT went up 2-0. Bouvier made the initial save but couldn't corral the ball. Wiebe pounced on the rebound and found the open cage, recording her second of the game.

The Queens tried to claw back into the game, but the Trojans' goalkeeper and defence held them at bay.

"SAIT's a great team," stated Peyrow. "We made two mistakes and they were able to capitalize on them quickly and we paid the price for it."

Yeo (11), a Practical Nurse Diploma student

Third-year defender Kayla Yeo was selected as the North Star Sports Queens Player of the Game, recording one shot over 75 minutes of playing time. Mergen received the recognition for the Trojans, making five saves in the shutout. 

"Kayla was great in the back. She was relentless with some of the strikers going through," said Peyrow. "She took away their options, but she also delivered some good balls forward for us. She worked well with our wingers, which we needed."

Peyrow appreciated the ability for the student-athletes and team to improve every week. 

"I am really happy with the way the Queens have been playing. They've exceeded some of my expectations which is nice," he said. "There's a few things we need to work on. We know what to expect going into playoffs right now with certain teams. The South [Division] has some strong teams, but the north does, as well. We face the south in the playoffs. This week, we just regroup. – we play Medicine Hat and we know what we need to do to come out strong and to be able to overcome them."

Jaden Humphrey (15), a Bachelor of Education Elementary student

The third place Red Deer Polytechnic Queens (3-2-0) will travel to Medicine Hat and challenge the Rattlers (3-2-0) on Sunday, October 10 at 2 pm in the final regular season contest. Both squads are tied with nine points in the standings. 

On Sunday, October 10, the top seed SAIT Trojans (5-0-0) will play the Olds College Broncos (2-3-0) on the road at noon. The top six teams in each division will qualify for the playoffs.