Despite a solid regular season, the men’s Kodiaks soccer team fell short in their final tournament of the year on Oct. 24.
This year the Alberta Colleges Athletics Conference (ACAC) soccer championships were hosted by Lethbridge Polytechnic and the Kodiaks men’s and women’s soccer teams, bringing southern Alberta’s top college soccer teams to the fields of Raymond for an unforgettable action-packed weekend.
The quarterfinals kicked off Oct. 24, with the Lethbridge Polytechnic Kodiaks men’s team taking on the eventual gold medal winners, the Edmonton’s NAIT Ooks.
Despite the energy from the supportive fans in attendance, the Kodiaks still suffered a 2–1 loss, cutting their championship hopes short.
The defeat meant the Kodiaks wouldn’t advance to the semifinals. A truly disappointing end to what had been a promising season.
For the Kodiaks, this wasn’t just another tournament. They stepped onto the pitch with one clear intention: to win it all. This was seen as a once in a lifetime chance to make history.
Before the tournament, Kodiaks head coach Michael Racz spoke about how he believed this year’s team had the drive and chemistry to go far.
“I think every year I’m confident in my abilities, my team’s abilities to win. We all have the belief that this is the year that we can win.”
Winning the ACACs would have meant qualifying for nationals, a massive milestone for the Kodiaks who have worked tirelessly all season.
Kodiaks assistant captain and goalkeeper Adam Krisko couldn’t hold back his excitement before the start of the weekend tournament.
“I’m super excited. I think all the guys are super excited. It’s a long time coming. I’ve never got to play at a home tournament like this in my life and a bunch of the other guys haven’t either. So, it’s really exciting for me and for the whole team.”
While the Kodiaks’ run ended early, the rest of the weekend in Raymond was nothing short of fun and exciting. The semifinals on Saturday showcased some fun competitive soccer setting the stage for the finals on Sunday.
The men’s gold medal match provided a hot finish to the tournament. After a tightly contested game between Edmonton’s NAIT Ooks and Medicine Hat College Rattlers ending in a 1-0 win for the NAIT Ooks. Emotions spilled over at the final whistle with a brief altercation between the two teams and a red card being shown to a Rattlers player. Cooler heads eventually prevailed, but it was a tense and emotional ending to an action-packed weekend.
Even though this wasn’t the Kodiaks year to lift the trophy, they left everything on the field showing heart and determination that will carry them forward into next season.
