Navarro and RDP Queens down U of A Augustana Vikings at home

Red Deer, AB – Once the Red Deer Polytechnic Queens found their game against the University of Alberta Augustana Vikings, they were difficult to contain.

The Queens received goals from five different student-athletes and rolled to a 5-0 victory over the Vikings.

"We played alright, but outside of our game which was frustrating. We needed to stretch the play and play our formation a little better," said Mahziar Peyrow, RDP Queens Soccer Head Coach. "They took us out of shape, but we were able to put some goals away and it started to get things moving for us, which was great to see."

Defensive play dominated the opening minutes between the two squads.

In the 30th minute, third-year Sofia Quinteros finally broke the stalemate. The RDP Nurse Diploma student beat Vikings third-year goalkeeper Sofia Ovcharenko with a low strike, lifting the Queens ahead 1-0.

Only one minute later, Devon's Payton Erick added the RDP Queens' second marker with a shot from the right. Erick's first goal in the Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference (ACAC) gave the home team a two goal advantage heading into the break.

Erick (15)

The Queens displayed more effective passing in the latter 45 minutes and were rewarded.

"Today, we were able to move around the ball nicely in the second half," said Peyrow. "I'm happy with how things are progressing."

From the right side, Lacombe's Anessa Harrod rang a shot off the near post and into the cage, providing the Polytechnic with a three goal cushion in the 66th minute.

Harrod (6)

As time was winding down, the Queens added two more goals. Augustana's goalkeeper Ovcharenko couldn't reel in a high shot from Sylvan Lake's Rylyn Morse - her first ACAC goal - and RDP's second-year midfielder Erica Navarro tacked on the Queens' fifth marker. 

"We got it down the wing. I called for it back because I was at the corner of the box. Quinn [Daku] passed it," said Navarro of her first goal of the young season. "I just tried to shoot it as hard as I could. I think it hit the post and went in, so I heard the ting and I was happy. Last season, my first ACAC goal was against Augustana."

Paige Kalbfleisch picked up a pair of assists in the Polytechnic's 5-0 home win.

Navarro, a Bachelor of Science Nursing student, was named the North Star Sports Queens Player of the Game.

Navarro (19)

"Erica did well. She was a key player throughout the middle, which was what we needed. We needed someone to distribute the ball properly, so she showed well," said Peyrow, who was named the ACAC Women's Soccer South Coach of the Year last season. "She was able to receive from one side and deliver to the other side - stretch the play for us, which was nice. The finish at the end was perfect. It was like the icing on the cake."

Airdrie's Kadie Johnston received the recognition for the U of A Augustana Vikings.

Queens goalkeeper Abby Kotyk, a Bachelor of Kinesiology student, turned aside one shot. Ovcharenko made 11 saves in the Vikings' net.

The Red Deer Polytechnic Queens (2-1) will challenge the SAIT Trojans (3-0) in Calgary on Sunday, September 17 at 12 pm.

"We really need to be on our game. We are a possession team and when we keep possession, we are successful," added Navarro. "SAIT is a really strong team, so we need to be prepared for those tackles - going hard, getting good touches and having accurate passes."