Kodiaks futsal and indoor track teams ready for championships

March 24, 2022 – The Lethbridge College Kodiaks will look to finish the 2021-22 athletic season with a roar this weekend, as their futsal and indoor track teams head to Edmonton to compete in their respective Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference (ACAC) championships. 

After finishing first in the ACAC south during the divisional round, the Kodiaks men’s and women’s futsal teams have advanced to the championship tournament hosted by The King’s University Eagles (TKU). Both Kodiaks teams will play three round-robin games and need to finish top two in the standings to advance to the ACAC Gold Medal Game on Sunday evening.

Meanwhile, the Kodiaks indoor track team will push for the podium in a medley of individual and team events. The men’s team is coming off a third-place overall team finish in the last ACAC Grand Prix tune-up event, while the women will look to build off a sixth-place team finish. 

Futsal

WOMEN’S 

Kodiaks vs Keyano College Huskies

• 10 a.m. Saturday at The King’s University (Edmonton) 

Kodiaks vs SAIT Trojans  

• 3 p.m. Saturday at The King’s University (Edmonton)

Kodiaks vs NAIT Ooks  

• 10 a.m. Sunday at The King’s University (Edmonton)

The Kodiaks will enter the championship tournament with momentum after clinching their spot in dramatic fashion two weeks ago. The team defeated Medicine Hat College 5-1 in a “must-win” game that saw them play shut-down defence and take advantage of their opportunities. 

Head coach Sean Carey says his team won’t be satisfied with anything less than a championship run.

“We’re at the stage where we’re looking for gold,” says Kodiaks head coach Sean Carey. “Second place isn’t good enough for us. We want to start winning banners and putting up some hardware. We know there will be tough competition ahead but if we play the way we did [during the divisional stage] there’s no reason we can’t get positive results.” 

Carey is confident in his team’s ability to create offensive opportunities and will be stressing the importance of staying sharp defensively to limit chances against.

“I expect every game is going to be very tough. We need to take our chances and bring the energy off the bat. If you can get that goal in your first couple of chances, suddenly you have momentum and you just need to keep pushing. On the defensive side, we’ll have to stay sharp and be sure we don’t leave assignments.”

Ashley Sazalski (second year, Nursing, Lethbridge) and Olivia DePasquale (second year, Massage Therapy, Airdrie) have paced the Kodiaks offence through the divisional round, while rookie Megan Morrison (first year, General Studies, Medicine Hat) has impressed with her creativity and dependable two-way play. Goalkeeper Jordan Quinn (first year, Nursing, Picture Butte) was named the Kodiaks player of the game in their last outing, making several tremendous saves to help secure the team’s spot at ACAC championships.

MEN’S

Kodiaks vs Portage College Voyageurs  

• 11:15 a.m. Saturday at The King’s University (Edmonton)

Kodiaks vs SAIT Trojans  

• 4:15 p.m. Saturday at The King’s University (Edmonton)

Kodiaks vs The King’s University Eagles  

• 11:15 a.m. Sunday at The King’s University (Edmonton) 

The Kodiaks men took care of business during the divisional round, winning their first three games to clinch their championships spot. Carey says the team’s deep roster and energy will be key to their success in pursuing a title. 

“I think the depth we have on the men’s side will be a big difference this weekend,” says Carey. “We’ve been able to get lots of players minutes through most of the games so far. We know If the boys play their system, take their chances and if our goalies are on, I don’t see any reason why we can’t come away with a banner.” 

The Kodiaks competition this weekend features a couple of familiar foes in SAIT and TKU, as well as a Portage team that will also present a tough challenge.

“We know SAIT and King’s University will be very tough games as we’ve played them lots through the years here. Portage is the unknown, they’ve got a great team this year and they came out of one of the toughest divisions. They’ve turned a lot of heads and we won’t be taking that team lightly.”

Veterans Jaden Veluw (fifth year, Nursing, Lethbridge) and Daniel Okpala (third year, Open Studies, Lethbridge) will once again be tasked with leading the Kodiaks offence. Austin Price (fourth year, Child & Youth Care, Terrace) has also impressed and will be counted on for his strong two-way play.

Indoor Track

ACAC Championships – Saturday & Sunday at Edmonton   

Saturday – Events begin at 4:30 p.m.

• 6:30 p.m. - W 4x200m relay timed finals
• 6:45 p.m. – M 4x200m relay timed finals

Sunday – Events begin at 11:15 a.m.

• 12:45 p.m. - W 4x200m relay timed finals
• 1 p.m. – M 4x200m relay timed finals

The Kodiaks indoor track team, meanwhile, will be looking for a podium finish to their season. 

Head coach Simon Schaerz says the team will be in hot pursuit of both individual and team medals at the ACAC Championships, which will be hosted inside the Butterdome on the campus of the University of Alberta in Edmonton.

“We are looking forward to our first Indoor Track Championships since March of 2019,” says Schaerz. “We stand a very good chance of winning medals in all four relay events. I believe we might even be able to win one or two of them. Keep a look-out for the men’s 4x200m, which is our strongest team. As for the overall team standings, both the men and women hope to finish on the podium.”

Jack Bentley (first year, Renewable Resource Management, Edmonton) earned a bronze in the men’s 600m at the last ACAC Grand Prix event and will once again be looking to hit the podium. Carter Van Roon (first year, Open Studies, Lethbridge) will also be a podium threat in the men’s 1500m, after narrowly finishing fourth in his last race. The Kodiaks women’s 4x200m relay team of Hailie Arenas, Maria Boix-Frias, Rosie Bouchard and Rayanne Hoeflicher will also be looking to medal after grabbing silver in their last Grand Prix outing.

A full event schedule is available here.