Men's Soccer Huskies take single point from weekend against Ooks

The way the past two seasons culminated, each match between the Keyano Huskies and NAIT Ooks has more than medals on the line.  
 
“Two of the top teams of the last two years going against each other,” Head Coach Niels Slotboom said. “I think those results can go any direction and there’s no change in that this year.  
 
“I think there’s very little between the two teams and one bounce here or a mistake there and either team can run away with it.”  
 
The rivalry that has been intensified through back-to-back Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference (ACAC) Championship game meetings showcased itself against this weekend in Edmonton with the clubs playing to a scoreless draw Friday followed by a narrow 2-1 result Saturday that gave the Ooks bragging rights until the next meeting. 

“I would say the second game is one of the best games to be played in the ACAC this year,” Slotboom said. “Although we want more than one point out of a weekend, the guys played really well.  
 
“I think for a lot of the young players that we have, it was a very valuable experience as an exposure to the level that is required for us to make a run at another championship.”  
 
Jaiden McLaren backstopped the team to the draw Friday. The lone goal from the Huskies came courtesy of Tano Torchia, his first goal since October 2023. Slotboom appreciated how the goal changed Torchia’s movement on the pitch.  
 
“That was massive,” he said. “It’s big for him because I think we can all see that he’s doing very well and is so far ahead of where he was a year ago after the injury.  
 
“For someone like him who wants to score goals and contribute in that way, he needed one to break through. You could tell the whole weekend as soon as that happened, he was a bit more free and a bit more back to himself.”  
 
With a modest three goals scored and three goals conceded through three games, the Huskies occupy the fourth-place position in the North Division with four points, which matches this weekend’s upcoming opponent the Concordia Thunder from Edmonton.  
 
The two teams will meet on the pitch Saturday and Sunday at SMS Equipment Place. Kick-off is scheduled for 4:15pm Saturday and 2:15pm Sunday.