Recap by Lethbridge College Kodiaks
October 28, 2022 - The hosts proved to have the most as the Lethbridge College Kodiaks knocked off the Keyano Huskies 1-0 in a quarterfinal to open the ACAC Women's Soccer Championship. A second half goal by Taylor Hrycun was the decisive marker as the Kodiaks booked a semifinal date with the Red Deer Polytechnic Queens on Saturday.
The Keyano Huskies carried the bulk of the play in the first half, but the Kodiaks defence remained stout on a warm afternoon at Comets Stadium in Raymond, Alta. Lethbridge goalkeeper Jordan Quinn (second year, Nursing, Picture Butte, Alta.) made a series of stops, a potential Huskies goal was called off in the 22nd minute due to an offside and Kodiaks defender Meaghan Welby (fifth year, General Studies, Winnipeg) made a superb defensive play in the 36th minute to deny Felicia Rodney (fourth year, Social Work, Calgary) a breakaway opportunity. The Kodiaks were able to mount a counteroffensive late in the half, but the game went to the break scoreless.
The hometown fans at the host Comets Stadium in Raymond, Alta. let out a roar in the 56th minute as the Kodiaks opened the scoring. A perfectly placed corner kick by Olivia DePasquale (third year, General Studies Psychology Sociology, Airdrie) bounced around near the goal line before Hrycun forced it into the net to give the Kodiaks a 1-0 lead they would never surrender.
The Kodiaks nearly added to their lead in the 67th minute when Montanna Rousselle (first year, General Studies, Cranbrook) sent a perfect crossing pass to Bryce Sherring (third year, Open Studies, Yorkton, Sask.) but Huskies goalkeeper Anastacia Lalonde (second year, Power Engineer, Edmonton) dove to her right to make the save. The Huskies countered with a golden opportunity of their own as Rodney, the ACAC north division player of the year, was sprung up the middle, but Quinn won the one-on-one battle with a golden save that preserved her team's lead. Keyano continued to put on a frantic press for the equalizer in a physical second half, but the Kodiaks were able to hang on for the victory. Quinn made six saves for the shutout.
"We defended for our lives today and those backline girls, I think any one of them could have been player the game," said Sean Carey, Kodiaks head coach. "We got the bounce from the corner kick and we were able to capitalize on it. And now we plan for a medal, we're playing on the weekend, and that's the whole goal, right? For these girls, that's three years in a row now that they're going to be playing for a medal."
Welby was named player of the game for Lethbridge, while Lalonde earned the same honour for the Huskies.
"That was the most fun I've ever had on the field with those girls," says Welby. "I went in just thinking, 'you know what? Everything's on the line right now,' and wow, was it ever fun to play with those girls. The energy on that field was insane."
The Kodiaks move on to face the south division's top-seeded Red Deer Polytechnic Queens at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday in Raymond, with a berth in the ACAC championship game on the line.
The 2022 ACAC Soccer Championships, presented by the Southern Alberta Homes Team at Royal Lepage South Country, are hosted by Lethbridge College at Comet Stadium in Raymond, Alta. All tournament information can be found online. Additional photos from this game can be found on the Lethbridge College Kodiaks Flickr page.
