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| The Huskies celebrate a goal by Luigi Bekwayo's (#9). |
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.
If you have any feedback on this
blog, feel free to email comments to stankssports@gmail.com.
