Kodiaks soccer on upward trajectory at the halfway point

By Lethbridge Herald on October 1, 2024.

Herald FILE photo Lethbridge Polytechnic Kodiaks Jacob Marshall, on the ground, and Jaxon Uhl battle with Lucas Miller of the Olds College Broncos during Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference men’s soccer action last month.

By Justin Seward

Lethbridge Herald

The Lethbridge Polytechnic Kodiaks soccer teams have hit the halfway point of their seasons and are on the upward trajectory.

The Kodiak women’s team ended the first half of their schedule winning three of their last five games and sit in third place in the Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference’s South Division with a 4-3 record.

“I think our trajectory is really on a good platform right now,” said Sean Carey, head coach of both  Kodiaks soccer teams, on the evaluation of the women’s team’s season so far.

“The girls are starting to understand what we’re asking them, what the capabilities are and we feel like we’ve got the full balance now.”

Carey has seen improvements with the girls’ possession time in terms keeping the ball.

“Everybody wants (the) possession and if they make a mistake, they work their butts off to get the ball back again,” said Carey.

Carey thinks it has been hard work that has gotten the girls to where they are.

“Just watching the difference in their technical abilities too , like we’ve really challenged them technically, and they seem to be rising to that challenge,” said Carey.

“I think that our communication has gotten a lot better,” said Sophie DeMarsh.

As for the boys, Carey has seen strong leadership so far this season.

“Our leadership for the guys group is phenomenal,” said Carey.

“Even after Sunday’s game, which was probably one of our poorest games we’ve played all season, the vibe’s still good with the boys. They know what’s at stake, they know what they can do and this is a really good mix of players.”

Carey has enjoyed the fight in the men’s team.

“I think if we make mistakes, we (are) learning from them,” said Carey.

“ I think that we can really rebound from (this) little bit adversity we’ve got  right now , you know, three games without a win. But this is a team that can win any game if they go out there and play well.”

The men’s team is tied for second with a 3-2-1 record.

“It’s just been the day-to-day work,” said Emiliano Garcia Velarde on where the men’s team is in the standings.

“This is just about working (and) training and it’s been showing on the field.”

Both teams open up their second halves on Sunday at home versus Ambrose.