09/18/2011 - The Keyano College Huskies men’s soccer team opened the 2011 Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference 2011 regular season in Edmonton this past weekend playing the No. 3 and No. 6 ranked collegiate teams in Canada.

Saturday they stepped out onto the pitch against the host NAIT Ooks, ranked No. 3 in the Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association from coast-to-coast-to-coast and lost by a score of 2-0.

“It was a good game and we actually took it to them in the second half,” said Huskies men’s soccer head coach Jonathan Soper . “They scored two goals in the first 15 minutes and after that we had possession of the ball and moved the ball but could not capitalize. Mental errors on the field and coughing up the ball where we shouldn’t have cost us.”

Sunday the opponent was the Grant MacEwan University Griffins at Jasper Place Bowl with the final score 4-0 in favour of the host.

“We missed a penalty shot in first 15 minutes and if we would have scored, it would have been a different game. The guys got down and were not coming back for the ball.”

Despite back-to-back losses to open the 2011 ACAC regular season, Keyano College Huskies women’s soccer head coach Ian Diaz remains positive.

The Huskies lost to the host NAIT Ooks 5-0. The Ooks are currently No. 1 in the CCAA.

“it was really good, we held them for 30 minutes and it was 2-0 at the end of the first half on two errors,” said Diaz. “Structurally and systematically we were very sound but in the second half fatigue set in. We will have to go back to the drawing board and get in some more fitness training.”

The Ooks are currently undefeated in early season play with four wins sporting 25 goals for and only four against.

Sunday’s match saw the Huskies fall 4-0 to the Grant MacEwan University Griffins.

“After performing the way we did against NAIT I was disappointed the way we came out flat Sunday against the Griffins. I think the girls can play much better and I have the outmost confidence in them to say focused but once again it was the little mental lapses that killed us.”

The Huskies women and men, who are in the six-team North Division, play their home openers Friday at 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. tentatively at Corless Field against The King’s Eagles from Edmonton.

Saturday’s game are slated for 12 p.m. women and 2 p.m. men.

The Eagles women are winless in four outings with two goals for and 21 against. On the men’s side the record is 3-1 with three goals for and 12 against.

“I am expecting nothing less than six points this weekend,” said Diaz. "We are going to work hard, watch some game film and get ourselves ready .”

Soper is also looking to hit the W column: “We will have a full bench (three starters were missing for the season openers) and we will be moving and possessing the ball all over the field.”