LAC LA BICHE – Six teams, three colleges, two teams moving on – and one great day of futsal. The Portage College Voyageurs Men's Team and the Keyano Huskies Women's Team are off to the ACAC playoffs after another Saturday of exciting action at the Bold Center which also featured teams from Lakeland College. Coming in with a leg up on their competition thanks to 2-0 records from the first round of Northeast Regionals two weeks ago in Lac La Biche, the Voyageurs and the Huskies put the pedal to the metal, picked up two more wins and punched their tickets to the playoffs later next month.
WOMEN
In the opener, Emma Bendera scored three and her teammates contributed five other markers as the Keyano Huskies bested the Portage College Voyageurs 8-1. Riley Ellis was named Player of the Game for Keyano. Lexis Roy potted the Voyageurs' lone goal on a beautiful, top-corner shot and was named Player of the Game for her squad.
The Huskies continued to run wild in their second matchup, scoring three goals in the second half to beat a determined Lakeland Rustler squad 3-2 and punch their ticket to the playoffs. Madison Tyson was named Player of the Game for the victors while Makenna Sackmann was so honoured for the Rustlers.
The women's action wrapped up with Portage taking on Lakeland. Two weeks earlier, the Rustlers had tied the Voyageurs up in knots, besting them 16-0 in a lopsided affair. This time, the Voyageurs kept it close for a while and had several decent scoring chances before falling 10-2. Kim Pfeil led the way for Lakeland, notching three goals while Player of the Game Landis Corbeil scored one. Miriam Kobenesa and Lexis Roy replied for the Voyageurs. Hannah Cousins made several impressive saves and was named Player of the Game for Portage. Voyageurs Head Coach Kika Mukuninwa was pleased with his team's effort.
"The ladies played amazing, especially against Lakeland where last time it was 16-0," he said. "Today we scored two goals on them and we worked hard. It was an excellent day all around."
MEN
The Men's action kicked off with a hard-fought contest between Portage and Keyano. After the Huskies quickly raced to a 2-0 lead in the first half, the Voyageurs fought back, scoring four in the second half to best their northern rivals 5-2. Player of the Game Mukire Kiroro and James Ruhiga led the way with two goals apiece for the Voyageurs while Karl Tronche and Tom Wessel replied for the Huskies. Josh Fitzpatrick was named Keyano's Player of the Game.
The Huskies didn't have a lot of time to lick their wounds but regrouped nicely to give the Lakeland Rustlers a run for their money. In a high-paced, highly-entertaining game which featured numerous glorious scoring chances for both squads (despite a scoreless first half), the Rustlers managed to come out on top 4-2. Spencer Shand was named Player of the Game for the winning side while Karl Tronche received a similar honour for the Huskies.
The result set up a showdown for a coveted spot in the ACAC playoffs. Win, tie or lose by one goal, and the Portage College Voyageurs were in. Win by two or more and the Rustlers would claim the spot. Portage put an end to the drama early, racing out to a 5-1 halftime lead, and hanging on for a 7-4 victory over a game Lakeland squad. Laiaith Albu-Hamdan led the way with three for the Voyageurs and Player of the Game Braedon Farrion was all over the court while Giordano Ciccacci potted two and was named
Player of the Game for his squad. Voyageurs Head Coach Kika Mukuninwa was impressed with his troops' effort and determination but noted that they will need to work on their composure and focus on the details as they prepare for the ACAC playoffs in late March.
"We're a good team but the first game, we were down 2-0 real quickly, just because we weren't quite ready mentally and then this last game, we conceded too many goals, some bad goals," he said. "So over the next four or five weeks we're gonna work on doing the little things well: defending as a team, talking positively and just having a team spirit."