While the Keyano Huskies Women’s Futsal team could provide the excuse that they haven’t played a competitive game in almost five weeks, the Championship season doesn’t look kindly on excuses at this stage of the game.  

A narrow 2-1 result over the Lethbridge College Kodiaks that began the Huskies’ journey at the 2024 Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference (ACAC) Women’s Futsal Championship at the Bold Centre in Lac La Biche, Alta. was a little too close for comfort in the end. 
 
“We were very slow; something that we definitely have to make sure we don’t do in our next set of games,” Head Coach Niels Slotboom said. “We can’t start that slow and we were very sloppy, especially attacking wise.  
 
“We’ve got a lot of things to clean up, but I know that the girls also haven’t played in five weeks in a competitive game so there’s some level of rust that we’ve got to get rid of. I’m hoping we got that out of our system and I’m looking forward to seeing what our game against Lakeland tomorrow will be.”  
 
While the Huskies battled to break through Lethbridge’s defensive lines, the opening goal from McMurrayite Kiera Thomas came after much persistence and what could almost be characterized as an arduous journey for a club that came into the game with the standing they had commanded from the regular season.  

Moments after Thomas’ goal, a lapse in defence gave the Kodiaks a free goal from half court, which they willingly took advantage of to equalize the score at the break.  
 
A bizarre goal proved to be the difference in the second half to push the Huskies ahead. Off a Kodiaks in-bound deep in their own territory, Marissa Mestre pressured a Kodiaks defender, who sent the ball in the slot in front of her own net. As the Kodiak goalkeeper rushed to clear the ball from a pressuring Rofyda Khaleel, the McMurrayite held firm in her challenge and deflected the rolling ball back into the Kodiaks net.  

Scores were tight in the other three games of the Women’s tournament. In the Huskies’ pool, a 3-1 win by the Lakeland Rustlers over the Kodiaks sets up a pivotal showdown in Saturday morning’s Pool A finale between the Rustlers and Huskies.  
 
A Huskies win would vault them into Sunday’s semi-finals while a draw or a loss by the Huskies would send the defending ACAC Champions into the second quarter-final.  
 
Kick-off for Saturday’s game is at 10:00 a.m. at the Bold Centre in Lac La Biche, Alta. If the Huskies play in the quarter-finals, that match is scheduled to kick-off at 2:00pm.