The Keyano Huskies Men’s Soccer team took care of business to extend their winning streak to four games Friday night in Lac La Biche, Alta., scoring a 4-1 win against the host Portage College Voyageurs.
“[It was] a little bit more difficult than it needed to be, but a lot of our starting guys this season didn’t travel with us,” Head Coach Niels Slotboom said. “It’s a little bit of a lineup that we haven’t worked on a whole lot. All things considered, it was a solid game.
“One or two mistakes, and one they were able to score on, but some really good plays as well and very nice goals from individual efforts.”
James Bartha scored twice to surpass the 20-goal plateau for his regular season career with the Huskies while Joshua Fitzpatrick and Cleisson Anklam also found the back of the net in the win.
With some of the team’s key veteran players not making the trip for the match or riding on the bench for this game, Slotboom employed a lineup that presented opportunity to some of the team’s usual reserves, allowing for them an important opportunity to seize their chance.
“That’s what we tell everybody is if you want to play, you have to make the most out of what you get,” Slotboom added. “If you get a whole game, obviously that’s nice but sometimes you might only get five, 10, or 20 minutes or just a single half.
“You’ve got to take it for what it is and show up so that you can hopefully improve and show that you should have more minutes than what you’re getting at the moment.”
Fitzpatrick opened the scoring off a corner from Hafid Arellano, having his first chance stopped before slamming home the second opportunity. After Bartha netted goals in the 45th and 69th minutes, Anklam sent home a penalty kick in 73rd minute. Daniel Hyrsky score the Voyageur’s lone goal in the 86th minute.
Jaiden McLaren secured the first win of his Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference career in the match.
Bartha, who scored in the season-opening game and was then held off the scoresheet in the next four games, has come back onto the scene with four goals in his last three games. Slotboom noted that the 2022 ACAC North Division Rookie of the Year was still as dangerous as ever inside the box and finally back in his stride.
“A slow start to his season for sure,” Slotboom acknowledged. “In the last few weeks, we’re seeing a trend in him, settling down a bit on the field and getting really back into his stride.
“When he’s in the box, he’s one of the most dangerous people in the league and you see that the last few weeks.”
For Fitzpatrick, the tide also turned for the Ottawa, Ont. Striker, who scored in the Huskies’ second game of the season, but had been held scoreless up until his game-opening goal Friday night.
“You never have to worry about Josh’s work ethic or how he applies himself during the games,” Slotboom commented. “He’s always someone we can count on, which wasn’t always like that so it shows a lot of growth in his character and him overall as player, which is what I’d like to see from one of our more vet players that is finally starting to hit his stride and put the ball in the back of the net as well.”
The Huskies will make their final road trip of the regular season this coming weekend, travelling to Grande Prairie to take on the Northwest Polytechnic Wolves. Saturday’s kick-off is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. with a 2:00 p.m. rematch on the Sunday.
