Weekend recap: SOC/VB/XC

Oct. 17, 2022 - It was a busy weekend for the Lethbridge College Kodiaks with soccer, cross country and volleyball teams all in action. 

The Kodiaks soccer teams concluded their regular season campaigns, with the women's team falling 3-2 to Red Deer Polytechnic and defeating Augustana 3-0, while the men finished with a 2-2 draw against RDP. Both teams have qualified for the 2022 ACAC Soccer Championships, which will be hosted by the Kodiaks in Raymond from Oct. 28-30. 

Over in Calgary, the Kodiaks cross country team showed well again at ACAC Grand Prix #4, their final tune up before conference championships on Oct. 29. The Kodiaks men placed third overall while the women nabbed fifth place. Maria Boix-Frias was the first Kodiaks woman to cross the finish line, while Cooper Williams led the way for the men's side. 

The Kodiaks volleyball teams also got their regular season campaign underway with a Saturday night clash against SAIT. The Kodiaks women fell 3-2 in a heartbreaker, while the men earned a convincing 3-0 victory. 

Soccer

Recaps written by Kodiaks Gameday Staff

Oct. 15 - WSOC | Red Deer Polytechnic 3 at Kodiaks 2 

The Kodiaks faced off against the RDP Queens as they looked to finish the season strong as it nears its end with a new venue for both teams as they battled it out at Comet Stadium in Raymond. The Queens wasted very little time getting things underway applying the pressure on the Kodiaks as Queens #7 let a rocket loose which beat the Kodiaks goaltender to give them an early 1-0 lead.

The Kodiaks were able to bounce back after generating some pressure in the Queens zone as Kodiaks Olivia DePasquale maneuvered around the Queens and found a gap between the Queens defenders getting the ball to #5 Ashley Sazalski to put it past Red Deer's goaltender to tie the game back at 1. The Kodiaks continued to be aggressive in the offensive zone as the Queens tried to generate any momentum in the final stretch of the 1^st half, but the Kodiaks held their ground keeping the game tied at 1 a piece headed into halftime.

The tempo of the game really picked up in the 2^nd half as the Kodiaks and Queens knew that they were going to have to make something happen quick if they wanted to get ahead in the game as both teams really upped the pressure defensively as well as trying to generate any offensive scoring chances. After a tumble in the Kodiaks zone turned into a free kick opportunity for the Queens, #7 Sofia Quinteros was able to elevate the ball just above the Kodiaks goaltender to put the ball top shelf giving the Queens the 2-1 lead halfway through the 2^nd half.

Shortly after, Red Deer had a golden opportunity to increase their lead by 2 but Kodiaks Goalkeeper Jordan Quinn came up huge swallowing up the ball and making a crucial save to keep the game within reach. Kodiaks #8 Bryce Bignell had a prime opportunity to tie the game back at 2 after getting ahead of the RDP defenders but was shut down by the Queens goalkeeper making a great save to keep them ahead with only minutes to spare which resulted in a rush the other way down the field where Queens #16 Jenica Swartz with the dagger putting the ball into the back of the net giving them the 3-1. The Kodiaks still had some juice left in the tank giving them one last chance at getting back in the game as Kodiaks #15 Jayna Timinski buried it bringing the game back to with 1. The Kodiaks failed to capitalize in the final minute, ultimately giving the Queens the win with a 3-2 score.

Oct. 15 - MSOC | Red Deer Polytechnic 2 at Kodiaks 2 

The Kodiaks looked to close out the season with a win as they duked it out at Comet Stadium in Raymond against the visiting RDP Kings.

After a big rush by the Kodiaks and a loss of possession, the ball was taken by the Kings down the pitch into the Kodiaks end where they connected on some shifty passes, RDP's #6 Kaidri Bornyi with a laser beats Lethbridge's goaltender short side to give Red Deer an early 1-0 lead. Minutes later, the Kings had another amazing chance, getting past the Kodiaks goalkeeper but barely missing the net to keep the game 1-nil.

After poking at the Kings in the offensive zone they were able to get set up and get the ball right to Kodiaks #20 Brandon Francis's feet and let it rip, beating the Kings goalkeeper leaving him not knowing what happened, tying the game back at 1. Right after the Kodiaks got a great rush and #9 Jaxon Uhl got around the RDP netminder leaving him with a wide-open net when he was robbed by a Kings defender who came sliding in, keeping the ball out of the net, and the game tied. The Kodiaks were really putting the pressure on the Kings in the final minutes of the half generating chance after chance but just barely missing preventing the Kodiaks from gaining a lead before the 1^st half came to a close. In extra time of the 1^st half Kodiaks Goalkeeper Ethan Demers misjudged on an unfortunate call leaving him ejected after receiving a red card which the Kings capitalized giving them the 2-1 lead headed into halftime.

The 2^nd half lacked the intensity that the 1^st did, as The RDP Kings were just trying to defend their lead as the Kodiaks looked to try and find a way around their defense to get the game back to even doing everything they could but struggled to get through leaving them with little time to generate strong offensive chances. With 15 minutes left in regulation time, the Kodiaks did just that, with the ball ending up in the feet of Kodiaks Captain Vincent Dyck was able to get the shot off and blowing it past the Kings goalkeeper to tie the game up at 2.

In the final minutes of play, Kodiaks GK Trey Lukye made multiple huge saves coming up big and keeping the game tied at 2 as both teams scrounged for anything they could do to win the match, but both the Kings and Kodiaks were incredibly tough on defense resulting in the game ending in a 2-2 to tie in the Kodiaks final matchup of the season.

Oct. 16 - WSOC | Augustana Vikings 0 at Kodiaks 3

The Kodiaks looked to finish off the season with a win after yesterday's loss against the RDP Queens as they set to battle for the last 3 points against the Augustana Vikings

The Kodiaks didn't waste any time getting down to business as they were very aggressive right from the start putting everything they can on net to get on the scoreboard first and take control of the game. The Kodiaks are getting plenty of scoring opportunities and continued to be aggressive offensively after Olivia DePasquale smoked a shot off the crossbar but stayed out of the net keeping the game scoreless.

Despite the majority of play taking place in the Vikings zone, and the Kodiaks generating chance after chance they just couldn't seem to put anything past the goalkeeper as well as constant struggles with offsides which was a key factor in the Kodiaks lack of scoring leaving the 1^st half of their final regular season matchup scoreless after the 45^th minute.

The Kodiaks found themselves back on the right track to start the 2^nd half after a turnover by the Vikings goalkeeper went straight to the feet of #14 Montanna Rousselle who put it into the empty net to get on the scoreboard for the first goal of the game. The Kodiaks continued to pick up the slack that they missed in the 1^st half as Kodiaks #13 Nikki Stahl with a great pass to the outside of the pitch that finds #5 Ashley Sazalski who takes the ball to the net and puts it through the legs of Augustanas goalkeeper to give the Kodiaks the 2-0 lead

Only minutes later the Kodiaks find the back of the net as #14 Montanna Rouselle is all alone and puts it past the Vikings GK for her 2^nd goal of the game making it a 3-0 game.

The Vikings tried all they could to try and get back into the game but failed to beat the Kodiaks defense allowing for Lethbridge to maintain control of the game while still holding play in their offensive zone until time ran out with the Kodiaks securing the 3-0 win over the Vikings in their final regular season matchup.

Volleyball

Oct. 15 - WVB | Kodiaks 2 at SAIT Trojans 3 (25-23, 25-22, 21-25, 25-27, 15-9) 

The Kodiaks nearly pulled off a dramatic comeback in their season opener, but fell in five sets to the SAIT Trojans at Rally Pointe in Calgary on Saturday night. Fifth year Jamie Brown had 15 kills and four service aces to lead the visitor's offense, while setter Taryn Bach had 22 assists. Mack Lewicki added a team leading eight digs.

Oct. 15 - MVB | Kodiaks 3 at SAIT Trojans 0 (25-19, 25-16, 25-23)

Meanwhile, the Kodiaks men's team got their season off to a strong start with a dominant 3-0 win over the Trojans. Nolan Moes led the attack with 14 kills and a service ace, while Adam Revet added six kills. Kodiaks newcomer Tyler Chernishenko had seven digs in his Kodiaks debut.

Cross Country 

Oct. 15 - ACAC Grand Prix #4  - Hosted by St. Mary's University (Calgary) 

The Kodiaks cross country team showed well again at ACAC Grand Prix #4, win what was their final tune up before conference championships on Oct. 29 in Edmonton.

The Kodiaks men placed third overall while the women nabbed fifth place. Maria Boix-Frias (26:05) placed 15th overall and was the first Kodiaks woman to cross the finish line of the 6km race, followed by Rosie Bouchard (28:19). Hannah Smith (29:38) and Rayanne Hoeflicher (32:37) had great showings and completed the scoring for LC. 

Cooper Williams led the way for the men's side by finishing eighth overall in the 8km men's race (26:52). Cole Herbert (29:30), Jack Bentley (31:04) and Chase Chambers (32:53) rounded out the scoring for the Kodiaks.