Men's soccer Huskies set to duel with Eagles in ACAC Playoffs

For the second time this season, the Keyano Huskies men's soccer team have been given the gift of a chance to reset and refocus in order to prolong their season.

The first opportunity came following their third game of the season when a loss in Grande Prairie dropped their record to 0-2-1. They responded with a convincing win the following weekend.

Two weeks removed from that important moment, they'll face their second opportunity to come together and come back stronger under the banner of the 2021 Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference (ACAC) playoffs and a Saturday matchup against The King's University Eagles. The Huskies and Eagles played to a 1-1 draw at Shell Place in their lone match of the season. 

"To us at that time, we played a lot better when we played in our first game even though we lost that game and tied against King's," said head coach Niels Slotboom. "It was disappointing at that time to take a step backwards. We learned from that.

"We look at what they're doing, but King's also significantly improved as you could see by their results as well."

The Eagles finished the season with a 3-2-1 record, scoring 11 goals and giving up seven. Even though the draw may be considered now as a boon to their playoff hopes, the Huskies left the field that day feeling like they had missed an opportunity to win a pivotal game.

"The result that we had against them the first time out was okay," said Jordan Khalilifar. "They're a team that works hard, come out aggressive and they like to pressure.

"We're trying to work towards that and to be prepared for it when it comes on Saturday."

The positive underlying signs for the Huskies, in that they know they can hang with they can hold their own with the top teams in the league, is matched by a consistency piece that has plagued the team in spots throughout the season, costing them points in the standings at the wrong time. They'll need to turn the consistency piece into a positive if they're to make in-roads for Saturday's game. 

"If we show up the way we can and we execute what we need to execute on then it's going to be a good game," said Slotboom.

In recognizing their faults, the Huskies are eager to turn the page to playoffs and grow closer as a club. Teamwork is always a core piece of success for any squad and it's no different with the Huskies, who have had to bond quickly as a group in this shortened season. It's shown to be a driving force for the club in some games, but it's need to be reinforced remains an ever-present issue for the club. 

"At the end of the day, we can't win individually; it takes a whole team effort," noted Khalilifar. "As long as the team stays together and we stick with the game plan given by the coach, we should succeed."

In a regular season it wouldn't be this way. A sixth-place finish would have left the Huskies on the outside of the playoff picture by five points. Instead, they have an opportunity to breathe new life and belief into themselves and the program. 

"We did not play as well as we could and there's many games where we also didn't deserve any better results than we got," said Slotboom. "Now, however, we still snuck in. It's a new season now.

"If we get our stuff together at the right time, we carry some momentum from the NAIT game, into the season here, it's a whole new ballgame and it's there for everybody."

The Keyano Huskies men's soccer team will travel down Highway 63 to take on The King's University Eagles Saturday. Kick-off is scheduled for 3:00 p.m.