The Queens are off to the gold medal match at the ACAC Championships
Lethbridge, October 29 - It was a battle of South Division rivals in the first semi-final match of the Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference Women's Soccer Championship (ACAC). The Red Deer Polytechnic Queens and the Lethbridge College Kodiaks would battle it out in their third match-up of the season. The Queens took both matchup in the regular season and were looking to make it 12 straight wins.
It was all Queens to kick-off this semi-final matchup. The Kodiaks had trouble counterattacking and could not seem to find a way out of their own zone with the team from Red Deer putting on a lot of pressure. This pressure and the wind factor kept the Kodiaks inside their own zone for the first 17 minutes of the match.
The Kodiaks could not sustain the pressure any long and the Queens opened the scoring in the 19th minute. The backline would pass it up to All-Conference Sofia Quinteros in the middle who would spring a pass and send Captain Alisha Coules off to the races. She would slide it pass Kodiaks goalkeeper Jordan Quinn to put the Queens up 1-0.
With a hard foul just outside the 18-yard box, the Queens were awarded a free kick from 19 yards out. Sofia Quinteros would take the free kick and place it just wide of the top right corner of the Kodiaks net, keeping it a 1-0 game in the 25th minute. But the first ranked South Division team kept applying the pressure, hoping to break that backline of the Kodiaks and take a 2-0 lead in the first half. S
The Red Deer Polytechnic really is showing why they were the number one ranked team from the South Division coming into this match. The Queens look composed and want the ball compared to the Kodiaks panicking and just kicking it away when they get the chance. The Lethbridge team looked like they were just nervous and did not want to receive the ball.
A bit of concern for the Queens team when Rookie of the Year Sein Furuyama was slow to get up after taking a hit at centerfield, but she was able to get up and walk it off.
Furuyama would draw a foul late in the first half just outside of the 18-yard box for Sofia Quinteros but she can't seem to find her footing as she put it up and wide by a few feet yet again.
Momemnts later, it was the Queens to take a foul just outside of their box in their own after striker Ashley Sazalski was taken down on a partial breakaway. Kodiaks midfielder Olivia DePasquale would take the free kick and ring it off the crossbar. But Lethbridge was given a second opportunity off the rebound and just headed it wide.
Seconds before the end of the half, the Queens were battling in the middle of the field, and it was Estel Quinteros this time sending Furuyama off on a breakaway. She would take a few touches into the box and put it home past Quinn who came out to challenge her but could not get a piece of it. This put the Queens up 2-0 right before halftime.
There was a major stoppage in play with the Kodiaks keeper going down hard with what looked like a knee injury but was able to stay in the game after getting taped up. But moments later, Quinn was taken out of the game as she was still feeling the injury and could not carry on.
After the Queens took a foul near the 30-yard line, the Kodiaks were awarded a free kick where DePasquale would step over it and the ball hit the crossbar yet again. It would rebound into the middle of box and defender Taylor Hrycun headed it home to cut into the lead early in the second half.
On the other end of the pitch, the Queens were able to put some more pressure on the Kodiaks and get a shot off. The ball beat the newly substituted Kodiaks goalkeeper Brooke Krowchuk but was shot wide.
There was a close chance for the Kodiaks when the Queens were playing with the ball in their own box and some pressure from striker Montanna Rousselle almost tied the game up at two. But Sofia Quinteros was able to clear the ball just in the time. This led to a goal chance for the Queens and tested Krowchuk but she made a diving save. This big save kept the Kodiaks down by just one.
After a free kick, Sazalski of the Kodiaks received the ball in the box. She would briefly beat Jaden Humphrey but the Queens defender was able to tackle Sazalski and kick the ball out for a corner kick. It is safe to say the Kodiaks were definitely putting a lot more pressure on the Queens then they were in the first half.
But the polytechnic was able to keep the Kodiaks to only one goal in the second half and would punch their ticket to the gold medal match at the ACAC Championships. This will take place tomorrow at 3 pm in Raymond at Comet Stadium. They will await the winner of the match between the Concordia University Thunder and the NAIT Ooks.
With the loss, the Kodiaks will play in the bronze medal match tomorrow at 10 am and will face off against the loser of the match between the Thunder and the Ooks
The players of the game went to Alisha Coules from the Queens and Nikki Stahl from the Kodiaks. Coules was very aggressive up top in the striker role and would score the first goal of the match. Stahl played all 100 minutes of the match and was great defensively, stopping the Queens offensive on countless occasions.