Weekend Recap: last-minute magic for Kodiaks soccer
The Kodiaks soccer teams battled hard this weekend on their home pitch.
The Lethbridge Polytechnic Kodiaks soccer teams battled hard this weekend on their home pitch.
On Saturday, the Kodiaks faced off against the Olds College Broncos. Both men’s and women’s Kodiaks teams came away victorious.
On Sunday, the Kodiaks hosted the Red Deer Polytechnic Kings and Queens. The Kodiaks women’s team lost a close one and the men’s match ended in a draw.
Sept. 14 WSOC | Kodiaks 3 vs Olds College Broncos 0
The Kodiaks were aggressive in the first half and controlled most of the play. Jordan Wright (second year, Bachelor of Nursing, Calgary) opened up the goal-scoring early and was assisted by Kyra Piekema (second year, General Arts and Science, Lethbridge). This was followed by Megan Morrison (fourth year, Bachelor of Nursing, Medicine Hat) scoring a goal of her own - also assisted by Piekema.
The second half saw good defence from defender Shelby Bach (fifth year, Early Childhood Education, Medicine Hat). The Kodiaks only allowed six shots on net the entire match. A late goal from Piekema secured the Kodiaks’ 3-0 win over the Broncos.
Players of the Game:
LPK: #2 Shelby Bach
OLDS: #8 Maria Luiza Couto Santos
Sept. 14 MSOC | Kodiaks 2 vs Olds College Broncos 1
The Kodiaks got off to a slow start, and there was a lot of back-and-forth action between both teams. The Broncos were the first to score, in the 37th minute, and the match remained 1-0 going into halftime.
The Kodiaks shuffled their lineup heading into the second half in hopes of bringing new energy to the field. In the 83rd minute, Jaxon Uhl (third year, Business Administration – Management, Lethbridge) scored a solo goal to tie it up. In the dying minutes of the match, Wilson Ntignee (fifth year, Business Administration, Bori, Nigeria) scored the game-winning goal to put the Kodiaks up 2-1 and secure their third straight win of the season.
Players of the Game:
LPK: #10 Wilson Ntignee
OLDS: #21 Lawer Amartey
Sept. 15 WSOC | Kodiaks 1 vs RDP Queens 2
The Kodiaks women’s soccer team had a tough match-up against the south’s second-ranked team the Red Deer Polytechnic Queens. The Queens came out strong, controlling most of the play and scored two goals in the first half.
The Kodiaks defence picked up in the second half, led by Ana Waurynchuk (fourth year, Interior Design Technology, Cranbrook, B.C.) who limited a lot of the Queens’ scoring attempts. A late goal from Khloe Jankowiak (second year, Business Administration – Accounting, Lethbridge) helped keep the Kodiaks in the match but when time ran out, they were still down 2-1.
Players of the Game:
LPK: #9 Ana Waurynchuk
RDP: #8 Olivia Lundell
Sept. 15 MSOC | Kodiaks 2 vs RDP Kings 2
The Kodiaks men’s soccer team was looking to protect their winning streak against a tough Red Deer Polytechnic Kings team. From the first kick, the Kodiaks seemed to be playing catch up. Charlie Block (third year, Open Studies, Lethbridge) kept the Kodiaks motivated and in the game. The Kodiaks only recorded one shot in the first half, while the Kings had six shots and a goal.
The Kodiaks made a few changes going into the second half, but an early goal from the Kings put the Kodiaks behind 2-0. It started to look like a more even match with close misses coming from both sides, and in the 86th minute, a goal by Bronson Schlichter (first year, Exercise Science, Lethbridge) assisted by Ryder Skolka (second year, Business Administration, Nelson, B.C.) gave the Kodiaks a glimmer of hope. In the last minute of play, Slade Wiese (second year, Open Studies, Raymond) kicked the ball through multiple defenders, and Ntignee netted the tying goal.
Players of the Game:
LPK: #24 Charlie Block
RDP: #11 Njegos Bajovic
Photos from the Kodiaks weekend soccer events can be found here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/kodiaksathletics/albums
Coach’s comments:
“The girls are still progressing. It’s a team that’s still learning to play with each other. Saturday was a full team effort to win and Sunday, the second half we saw improvement. Hopefully next weekend when we play SAIT we can go up there and get something out of it and keep moving towards that playoff spot.” – Sean Carey, Kodiaks head coach
“This men’s team is in for it tough because we started off so well, we’re going to get everyone’s A-game. They’re resilient though and they know until they hear the final whistle, they can score goals. On the bench some of the changes we can make near the end of the game have a massive influence and that just shows the depth of the team and the willingness they have to work for each other. This team is hungry for more.” – Sean Carey, Kodiaks head coach
The Kodiaks soccer teams are on the road next weekend with matches against the SAIT Trojans and University of Alberta - Augustana Vikings.
The ACAC cross-country teams will make their way down to Lethbridge on Sat. Sept. 21 as the Kodiaks are set to host the Running Room Grand Prix #3 at Nicholas Sheran Park.
A reminder that registration for the Run for the Pumpkin community event closes this Wednesday, Sept. 18. To sign up visit https://www.racepro.ca/runforthepumpkin/.