Men’s soccer Huskies level with Red Deer Kings
Thanks to some late-game heroics by Djokira Konate, the Keyano Huskies men's soccer team left Edmonton with a hard-fought 1-1 draw against the Red Deer Kings on the weekend.
While the result will show a draw and neither a win or a loss, it felt like they had experienced a bit of both sides when the final whistle blew.
"It came in waves, good and bad," head coach Niels Slotboom said of his team's performance. "Definitely not consistent so it's something we definitely need to work on.
"Overall, I suppose there's some things that were better than the first game. It gives us some new things to work on for the couple weeks coming up before the season starts."
Facing another side from the Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference (ACAC) for the first time this season, the men encountered some of the similar issues that plagued their momentum last week as well.
A self-inflicted slow start saw them sit back and not earn many opportunities in the first half. Combined with a feisty Red Deer squad, this put the Huskies on their heels to start, though they escaped to the half with both sides scoreless.
The Kings changed that roughly 15 minutes into the second half, with a give-and-go play down the wing creating room for a Red Deer player to slip by unopposed and beat Fataki Lupika with a high shot.
That seemed the jolt the Huskies awake as the time dwindled while searching for the equalizer. A free kick gave them a prime opportunity minutes later, but they were rebuffed by the Kings' goalkeeper.
Their next free kick would yield the equalizer as the Red Deer goalkeeper bobbled the original kick, with Konate there to bury the free ball.
"I just saw the opportunity and I went for it," he said.
That's how things would stay until the final whistle, marking a valuable lesson for the Huskies that they were fortunate to score when they did and that things may not come as easy in the regular season or playoffs.
"We're starting to come together as a team, but there's lots of work to be done," said Jacob Marshall.
The men's Huskies return to Edmonton to take on BTB Academy this coming weekend before opening the season September 18th.