A new season begins on Saturday for the Lethbridge College soccer teams. The Kodiaks will host the SAIT Trojans to begin the 12-game Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference (ACAC) season, before travelling to visit Olds College on Sunday.
The women’s side will get a motivational boost from the return of a teammate to the sidelines. Payden Olsen will at the game to lead the cheering for her Kodiaks teammates, just over a month after losing her right foot in an accident at her home in Cardston. Olsen was named the Kodiaks newcomer of the year last season and was expected to be a key defender this season. Now, her team is looking to her as a motivational leader as they dedicate their home opener against SAIT to her.
“She surprised us last week at a practice,” says Sean Carey, head coach of the women’s and men’s Kodiaks soccer teams. “She came out to the field in a wheelchair and the girls’ faces just lit up. It was such a nice thing to see how fast she is recovering. Her determination is a driving force for our players and they’re playing for her big time this year.”
Olsen will be introduced as part of the Kodiaks lineup and will join the team on the sidelines.
There is plenty of adversity for the Kodiaks women to overcome, as in addition to Olsen, injuries also mean 2017 captain Maddie Folk is out for the season, while 2018 captain Brooklyn Bellavance could miss significant time with a broken foot.
But the injuries come with opportunity for other players. And Carey believes he has assembled a team that is deep enough and strong enough that it can improve on last season’s 2-7-1 record and make a run at the ACAC playoffs for the first time in three seasons.
“We really believe in this squad,” says Carey. “It’s quite a young team, even our returning players are mostly only in their second years, but I think they had their eyes opened in the pre-season and we have a lot of belief in them. If we play the best we can play, we know we’ll be tough to beat.”
On the men’s side, the Kodiaks are coming off a strong season in which they went 6-1-3 and finished second in the ACAC south division, before a heart-breaking penalty kicks loss to Concordia in the conference quarterfinal. However, the team has seen quite a bit of turnover coming into this season, as Carey looked to change the make-up of his squad.
“We tried to change the mentality of this team,” says Carey. “We had a very good team of individuals last year, this year is going to be more of a team-oriented base. We’ve got guys out there who just work and work and work, and they’re there for their teammates.”
Wilson Ntignee (third year, Administrative Office Professional, Rivers State, Nigeria) returns to lead the offense after he finished second in the ACAC south division with seven goals last season.
The Kodiaks host the SAIT Trojans on Saturday at the Servus Sports Centre field. The women’s game begins at 2 p.m., followed by the men’s contest at 4 p.m. There is no admission cost for Kodiaks soccer games. The Kodiaks have the same game times on Sunday, on the road at Olds College.
Follow the Kodiaks all season long at gokodiaks.ca, Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
LISTEN: Head coach Sean Carey speaks about the return of Payden Olsen to the Kodiaks and previews the upcoming season:
2017 record: 2-7-1, fifth in ACAC south division, missed playoffs
Coaches: Sean Carey (head coach, second year), Mark Pries, Kim Schellenberg, Justin Lariviere, Cody Ferguson, Robyn Gieske (head trainer)
Head coach in his own words: “We’re looking forward to taking this group of young ladies into battle this season. We’ve had a lot of off-season adversity to deal with, but we’ve gathered a very talented group of women who will be able to play alongside all of the teams in our conference, and give us an excellent chance to return to post-season play again.”
Players to watch:
- Christine Moser – defender, Exercise Science, Whitehorse - Christine has come into training camp on a mission, and looks extremely hungry to continue on from a great rookie season with the Kodiaks.
- Meagan Judge – midfielder, Correctional Studies, Calgary - Meagan is a first-year player coming in from a successful Calgary Blizzard Porto program, and has all the attributes to become a huge player for the Kodiaks this season and beyond.
What to keep an eye out for this season: An abundance of offensive talent that the Kodiaks have their disposal. The team should be able to go toe to toe with all teams this season, and can cause teams lots of problems at the back if they can get the right service into the forwards.
2017 record: 6-1-3, second in ACAC south division, lost ACAC quarterfinal
Coaches: Sean Carey (head coach, second year), Mark Pries, Kim Schellenberg, Justin Lariviere, Cody Ferguson, Robyn Gieske (head trainer)
Head coach in his own words: “This is a new group of guys and they bring a different attitude along with them. I really like the look of the men we’ve been able to put together for this season. They’re a bunch of hardworking talented players who will go the extra mile for each other.”
Players to watch:
- Wilson Ntignee – striker, Administrative Office Professional, Rivers State, Nigeria - Wilson is coming into his second season with the Kodiaks, after leading the team in goal scoring in 2017. He shows no signs of slowing down as he ran away with the scoring title during the Calgary United Soccer Association summer season.
- James Britton – midfielder, Business Administration, Lethbridge - James came into his own during the 2018 futsal season and hasn’t missed a beat coming into training camp. He’ll be an instrumental figure in the heart of the Kodiaks midfield this season and the coaches anticipate he’ll continue to grow into an impact player in the ACAC.
What to keep an eye out for this season: The Kodiaks are an all-around balanced team that works tirelessly for each other. The squad has a lot of great talent that teams will find extremely hard to contain.