Keyano Huskies Weekend Preview: Soccer Huskies venture to Edmonton, Lac La Biche in search of strong end to regular season
Women’s Soccer Preview
Games: Friday, October 18 vs. The King’s University Eagles (6-4-0) at 2:30pm, Sunday, October 20 vs. Portage College Voyageurs (0-10-0) at 12:00pm.
Entering the final weekend of the regular season, the Keyano Huskies Women’s Soccer team still have a mathematical chance to secure a playoff spot, but the line is razor thin.
“We’ve said it in the past, take care of what we can take care of,” Head Coach Tiffany Fontaine said. “We’d like to continue to perform well, continue to build off what we have all season, and take home two wins.
“Hopefully there’s a little bit of fate in our favour and the chips fall where they need to.”
Even with a 2-0 win for the Huskies last Saturday, Friday’s rematch against the Eagles from TKU won’t be a guaranteed repeat performance. The Eagles also have a window of opportunity to secure a playoff berth, though that would also require beating the top-ranked Concordia Thunder.
For now, the NAIT Ooks are the team to beat in that playoff spot, with them set to host the Northwestern Polytechnic Wolves (2-8-0) for a pair of games in St. Albert.
Players to watch: The Keyano Huskies honoured nine student-athletes at their annual Senior Day on October 6 and this weekend could mark the final games of their ACAC career if the playoff proposition doesn’t materialize. Overall, that class has accounted for roughly a quarter of the Huskies’ goals scored in their entire program’s history as well as more than 65% of the wins as a program since joining the ACAC in 2002-03.
Regardless of whether their season ends Sunday or is extended with a trip to Grande Prairie, this group has been directly responsible for the growth of the program and its rise in the standings and that should be worth celebrating regardless of how or when it ends.
Men’s Soccer Preview
Games: Friday, October 18 vs. The King’s University Eagles (5-4-1) at 4:30pm, Sunday, October 20 vs. Portage College Voyageurs (2-8-0) at 2:00pm.
The Keyano Huskies Men’s Soccer team have already secured their spot in the ACAC Men’s Soccer Championship, but there’s still the matter of clinching top spot in the North Division.
While last year’s clinching scenario for top spot in the North was out of their hands, the Huskies control their fate with wins on Friday and Sunday securing their spot at the top of the division for a second-straight year. That will be easier said than done though against two quality sides that, while eliminated from playoff contention, will be looking to end their seasons with one last strong effort against the CCAA’s second-ranked team.
“Every team always wants to end their season on a high,” Head Coach Niels Slotboom said. “Even when you’re out of playoffs, there’s still positives you can get from games regardless of where you are in the standings. I would hope that’s what those programs want to do.
“There might be some players that want to show off that they maybe should’ve got more minutes or cement their spot for futsal or even for next fall. There’s different motivations that can lead to difficult games. I don’t think any team at this level is going to pack it up and give it away in the last weekend. “
There’s also some unique history ahead for the Men’s Soccer Huskies, who can achieve their first double-digit win season in program history with a pair of wins this weekend. All of the Huskies’ strong seasons in the 2010s were under 10-game seasons, with nine wins at its peak, and this iteration of the Huskies has advanced from one win in 2021 to seven wins in 2022 and nine in 2023.
Player to watch: Hafid Arellano (Lima, Peru). Entering the final weekend of the season, Arellano leads the entire conference in assists and is tied for second in overall points with 21 from six goals and nine assists. He could threaten for the league lead by the end of the weekend depending on his contributions this coming weekend.