Huskies make history

The Huskies celebrate.

            It was a dream finish for the University of Saskatchewan Huskies men’s soccer team at the Canada West Final Four tournament.

            On Saturday at PotashCorp Park, the amazing Huskies captured their first ever Canada West title downing the University of Alberta Golden Bears 4-2. The Golden Bears led 2-1 at halftime, but the Huskies roared back with three unanswered goals in the second half.

            Jordian Farahani scored twice for the Huskies, while Bobbi Nicholat and David Brown had singles. Michal Bandula picked up the win in goal.

            Jermele Campbell and Niko Jankovic relied with singles for the Golden Bears, while Connor James suffered the loss in goal.  

Both the Huskies and the Golden Bears will advance to the Canadian Interuniversity Sport championship tournament, which will be hosted by the University of Prince Edward Island Panthers from Nov. 6-9 in Charlottetown.

            Traditionally, the University of Saskatchewan was never known as a soccer school. That reputation is changing quickly.

            Last year, the Huskies men’s team made their first appearance at the Canadian Interuniversity Sport championship tournament with an 8-5-2 record. They bettered that make this season finishing first in the Prairies Division with a program best 9-1-2 mark.

            The Canada West title game was played before 646 spectators, which is a large gathering for the Huskies soccer team. The green and white ensured their home faithful didn’t go away disappointed. A day earlier, the Huskies downed the University of Victoria Vikes 2-0 in a semifinal contest.

            Going into the CIS championship tournament, you have to like the Huskies odds of winning it all. They return to the national stage as an experienced team having been there before. Now the goal is to ensure the plane ride home from Charlottetown will be a happy one.

Women’s squad captures bronze

Huskies defender Jennifer Miller.

            The Huskies women’s soccer squad also carved out a piece of history claiming their first ever medal in the Canada West Final Four tournament.

            The Huskies opened this year’s tournament in Langley, B.C., falling 1-0 in a semifinal to the host Trinity Western University Spartans on Friday night. Natalie Arnett had the lone goal for the Spartans, while Christina Oliverio picked up the win in the Trinity Western net. Cara Santaga suffered the loss in goal for the Huskies.

            On Saturday, the Huskies rebounded with a 2-0 victory in the bronze medal match over the University of Alberta Pandas. Star striker Jenelle Zapski scored both of the Huskies goals, while Kyleigh Vause picked up the win in goal. Kelti Biggs took the loss in goal for the Pandas.

            The Huskies had a strong regular season posting a 7-2-3 record to finish second in the Prairies Division. All their players can potentially return next season, which likely means they will have a good chance to improve on the bronze medal finish.

Zapski and defender Jennifer Miller, who were named Canada West second team all-stars, are definitely players to watch as the team moves forward.

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Huskies men’s soccer, a hidden gem

The Huskies celebrate a goal by Luigi Bekwayo's (#9).

            “That is the best Huskies team I have ever seen.”

            Those words were by an alumnus of the University of Saskatchewan men’s soccer team, while he watched his former squad down the University of Alberta Golden Bears 6-1 at PotashCorp Park on Sunday. That same alumnus also said during his years the team wasn’t that good.

            For a number of years, the Huskies men’s soccer team wasn’t a headline grabber and played with little fan attention. That changed last season when the program qualified for its first appearance at a Canadian Interuniversity Sport championship tournament with an 8-5-2 record. Club regular season records were set for wins (eight) and points in the standings (26) in the process.

            Sunday’s win was a treat. The Huskies and Golden Bears entered the day as the top two teams in the Prairies Division of the Canada West Conference. The hosts stormed out to a 3-0 just 17 minutes into the contest.

            The edge expanded to 4-0 by halftime and was 5-0 before Cj Gilroy scored for the Golden Bears on a penalty kick.

            David Brown, Tyler Redl and Luigi Bekwayo each scored twice for the Huskies. Most of the goals came with the team quickly heading up field in transition and with some smart strikes by the goal scorers. The effort didn’t let up at any point in the contest by the hosts, even with substitutes coming off the bench in droves in the second half.

            Michal Bandula picked up the win in goal for the Huskies, while Connor James suffered the loss for the Golden Bears, who fell to 4-3-3.

            On the day, the Huskies were a total treat to watch. They improved to 7-0-1 to sit first in the Prairies Division with the win and officially locked up a playoff berth.

            The stands at PotashCorp Park were also packed, and spectators also lined the sidelines to the sides of the stands. That was also a cool sight to see.

            The Huskies can wrap up first place in the division by winning two of their final four games. They return to action this coming Saturday and Sunday, when they host the University of Winnipeg Wesmen at PotashCorp Park at 2:15 p.m. each day.

            At the moment, the Huskies are no longer a blip on the radar screen.

 

Mission accomplished for women’s team

            The Huskies women’s soccer team did what they needed to do to keep control of their own playoff fate.

            On Sunday, the Huskies blanked the lowly University of Lethbridge Pronghorns 5-0 at PotashCorp Park. Erica Hindmarsh and Jenelle Zapski each scored twice for the Huskies, while Kelly Cerkowniak picked up a single. The hosts led 3-0 after 21 minutes and never looked back.

            Cara Santaga picked up the win in goal for the Huskies, while Micaela Stone suffered the loss in goal for the Pronghorns, who fell to 1-7-2.

            After two straight wins over the Pronghorns, the Huskies sit third in the Prairies Division of Canada West with a 5-2-3 record. The top four teams in the division make the playoffs.

            With two games left, the Huskies have to wait for a bye week to finish to see if they are still holding on to a playoff spot. The University of Alberta Pandas (4-1-3) and University of Regina Cougars (4-2-2) will make up their two games in hand on the Huskies and could potentially knock the Dogs to fifth place.

            The Huskies close their regular season schedule by hosting the Cougars on Oct. 18 and 19 at PotashCorp Park at 12 p.m. each day. With the way things sit now, those matches will likely be playoff type games. U of S will make the post-season by winning those two contests regardless of what else happens in the league.

           

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Crunch time for Huskies soccer

Kelly Cerowniak in action for the Huskies.

             It is make or break time for the University of Saskatchewan Huskies soccer teams this weekend.

            Both squads did their part Friday at PotashCorp Park to ensure it is “make” time. The men’s soccer team downed the University of Alberta Golden Bears 4-1, and the women’s squad blanked the University of Lethbridge Pronghorns 3-0.

            While it is only early October, the regular season is nearing a close, and both teams are trying to roll off a final sprint. The Huskies men’s team wants to inch closer to first place in the Prairies Division of Canada West. The Huskies women’s team wants lock up a playoff berth.

            In the men’s game, Garrett Peters and Luigi Bekwayo staked the Huskies out to a 2-0 lead. Cj Gilroy scored for the Golden Bears early in the second half to cut the host’s lead to 2-1. The Huskies pulled away with singles from Bobbi Nicholat and Jordian Farahani.

            Michal Bandula picked up the win in goal for the Huskies, while Connor James suffered the loss for the Golden Bears.

            With the win, the Huskies improve to 6-0-1 to sit four points up on the 4-2-3 Golden Bears for first in the division. If the Huskies just post a tie in Sunday’s encounter with the Golden Bears (2:15 p.m. PotashCorp Park), they will be sitting pretty in the race for first.

            After Sunday’s match, the Huskies will have four games remaining on their schedule. They play the University of Winnipeg Wesmen (2-5-1) twice and the Mount Royal University Cougars (1-4-1) twice. As it stands right now, the Huskies would only need to win two of those final four encounters to capture top spot in the division.

            On the women’s side, the Huskies need wins to keep their playoff hopes alive in the tightly packed Prairies Division. They entered Friday’s game holding a slim one-point edge for fourth place and the division’s final playoff berth.

            In the shutout win of the Pronghorns, Kelly Cerkowniak scored twice in the first half to give the Huskies a 2-0 edge, and Prince Albert product Erica Parenteau rounded out the scoring with a single in the second half.

            Cara Santaga picked up the win in goal for the Huskies, while Myriah Marino took the loss in the Pronghorns net.

The victory helped end a four-game winless skid, as the Huskies improved to 4-2-3. The Pronghorns fell to 1-6-2.

            The two teams meet again on Sunday at 12 p.m. at PotashCorp Park. If the Huskies win, it will put them in a good position to play the waiting game.

            They close out the regular season by hosting the University of Regina Cougars (4-2-2) on Oct. 18 and 19. By that time, the picture of what the Huskies still need to do to get in the playoffs should become clearer. If the Huskies don’t earn a win over Lethbridge on Sunday, they could be forced into a position where they need to win both of their final two games to make the post-season.

            The best part for both soccer squads is they control their own respective destinies. At this point in the campaign, that is all the players on either team wants.

            If they can keep winning, there could be the odd home playoff game at PotashCorp Park.

           

If you have any feedback on this blog, feel free to email comments to stankssports@gmail.com.