The RDP Queens preparing for their first championship defense in program history
Red Deer, September 6, 2023 – After a historic season a year ago, the Red Deer Polytechnic Queens Soccer team is ready to start their championship defense as the 2023/2024 Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference (ACAC) season kicks off this weekend.
A year ago, they started the season off with a loss against the SAIT Trojans. But they didn't know this was going to be the only loss of the ACAC season. They managed to win 11 in a row on their way to their first-ever championship banner in program history.
This incredible season also included a record-setting campaign for Sein Furuyama (Open Studies), who was last year's ACAC South Player and Rookie of the Year recipient. She broke the individual record for most goals in a season with 29 goals and helped the Queens break the record for most goals by a team in one year as well with a total of 89.
Furuyama was also named to the South Division All-Conference alongside her teammates Estel and Sofia Quinteros (Practical Nurse Diploma).
But after losing some veteran players to graduation, Head Coach Mahziar Peyrow, who was last year's ACAC South Division Coach of the Year, says the Queens will be looking a little bit different as they start their new season.
"This season is going to be tough for us as we had a lot of players graduate from the Polytechnic, so it will be a bit of a rebuilding year for us. But we will still be able to compete at the top level."
They still managed to keep some players from their gold medal-winning team.
Furuyama is preparing herself for her second year in the conference as she is coming off a knee injury and wants to impress the conference yet again.
Defense Kayla Yeo (Open Studies) is coming back for her fifth and final year. Yeo alongside Sofia Quinteros will co-captain the Queens this season with last year's captain Alisha Coules graduating from the four-year Nursing program. Coules will step in as an assistant coach for the team this year.
Peyrow is very excited to have Quinteros back in the midfield as well as Yeo on the defensive line.
"Sofia will remain as a key player in the defensive midfield to keep providing us with the quick transition into the attacking third. Kayla will step in the role of centre-back to strengthen our defense alongside our ever-so-powerful Kyra Remekie (Bachelor of Science in Biological Sciences)."
He added the Queens will also be returning their two strikers, Paige Kalbfleisch (Bachelor of Science in Nursing) and Grace Smith (Bachelor of Business Administration). These two student-athletes bring a high level of skill on the ball and can attack dangerously with pace.
Alongside these multiple returnees will also be a couple of key additions to the team who were recruited by last year's ACAC South Division Women's Coach of the Year this past off-season, defense Payton Erick (Business Diploma) and midfield Rilyn Clement (Pre-Health Sciences).
Peyrow believes Erick will be a strong force at the back that can also get up the pitch and impact the game on the offensive side and Clement has a high soccer IQ who has great vision in the midfield.
Putting all these pieces together, the Queens head coach is quite optimistic the team can compete at the same level they did a year ago.
"Obviously, we had a great season last year and it would be amazing to reenact that this campaign. I believe the ladies have it in them to execute a great season. The energy is high as these ladies want to impress. The players all know that they need to perform well as the bar has been raised for this program."
The Queens season will start on the road this weekend as they head down to Lethbridge on Saturday to battle with the Kodiaks at 2 p.m. before traveling out to Medicine Hat to take on the Rattlers at noon on Sunday.