Kodiaks soccer opens ACAC postseason

By Lethbridge Herald on October 15, 2021.

The Lethbridge College Kodiaks men’s and women’s soccer teams will be hosts as the Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference playoffs start today.

This season’s “transition” schedule includes a new playoff format, one that will see teams with higher seeding host divisional playoff matchups over the next two weeks, leading up to the ACAC gold medal game Oct. 30.

Divisional quarter-final games will be played on today, with divisional semifinal tilts set for Sunday.

The ACAC defending champion Kodiaks men’s team opens the postseason this afternoon as they take on the Ambrose Lions in quarter-final action at 4:30 p.m. at the Servus Sports Centre.

The Kodiaks finished 4-2 in the regular season to take third place in the ACAC South Division and the right to host the 0-6 Lions.

On the women’s side, the 5-1 Kodiaks get a bye to the semifinals thanks to their second place finish in the South Division behind the 6-0 SAIT Trojans.

They will play the winner of today’s quarter-final between the six-seeded Augustana Vikings (1-5) at third-ranked Red Deer Polytechnic Queens (4-2) Sunday at 3 p.m. at the Servus Sports Centre.

This afternoon’s quarter-final marks the third straight game between the Kodiaks and Lions, who met twice to end the regular season.

The Kodiaks won both games, winning 7-0 in Calgary and 3-0 last weekend at the Servus Sports Centre to round out the regular season.

Ben Knight led the Kodiaks with five goals and 16 points. His six assists were second most in the ACAC.

Striker Easton Beaulieu looks to build on his three goals and three assists in six games.

The Kodiaks will also count on veteran defender Jaden Veluw to shut down the Ambrose attack.

The winner of this afternoon’s quarter-final will face second-place Red Deer Polytechnic (4-1-1) on Sunday in the ACAC South Division semifinal at 3 p.m. in Red Deer.

The other ACAC south division quarterfinal will see the fourth-ranked Medicine Hat College Rattlers (2-4) host the fifth-seeded Olds College Broncos (1-3-2) today.

The winner of that match will take on the first place SAIT Trojans (6-0) in the other south division semifinal on Sunday.

The Kodiak women will start their post season campaign Sunday after winning back-to-back ACAC bronze medals that past two seasons.

Second-year Kodiak Olivia DePasquale led the conference with eight assists and tied for fourth in goals scored with nine in six games.

Local second-year forward Ashley Sazalski scored four goals and added three assists in the regular season, while rookie Jayna Timinski has a goal and two assists in her last two games.

The other ACAC south division quarter-final has the fourth-seeded Medicine Hat College Rattlers (3-3) host the fifth-ranked Olds College Broncos (2-4) today.

The winner of that match will take on the first place SAIT Trojans (6-0) in the other south division semifinal on Sunday.

Admission for Kodiaks soccer games is free to all fans.

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