Olivia DePasquale, Kodiaks women’s team captain, congratulates teammate Ashley Sazalski after scoring a goal versus the Augustana Vikings on Oct. 16 at Comet Stadium in Raymond.
The Kodiaks’ path to playoff glory will be a true test of their physical and mental skills, but both men’s and women’s teams believe they have what it takes to be serious contenders.
This year’s ACAC Men’s and Women’s Soccer Championships add another layer of importance for the Kodiaks teams: it marks the first time in ACAC history that Lethbridge is hosting the three-day event.
Kodiaks men’s fullback Julio Vega Sibrian feels the pressure associated with home field advantage.
“It’s exciting to host this year with the group of guys we have,” said Vega Sibrian. “It’s a bit nerve-racking to see the competition from the north and host the championships. You always want to perform well for the guys.”
The second-year Engineering Design Technologies student isn’t letting the pressure distract him. He says the Kodiaks have done a lot to adapt their tactics for the top-seeded teams.
The Kodiaks men sit in fourth place of six in the south division but automatically clinch a spot in provincials as the host team. Their record after regular season play is three wins, three losses and four ties.
“Lately, we’ve been trying new formations, trying to see how we can be better defensively and building from there. We’re working on making crisper passes player-to-player and taking advantage of our chances on set plays and through the game,” said Vega Sibrian.
All things considered, the Kodiaks defender believes his team is ready to put on a show for the hometown crowd.
“We’re going to bring the energy for the fans and bring them games they’ll enjoy. Our goal is to win––it’s always to win. We’re going to try and play 110 per cent all the time, every single game, and see how far we go. Hopefully we win it,” said Vega Sibrian.
The mood in the women’s locker room is much the same according to third-year midfielder Olivia DePasquale.
“We’ve been working our butts off during practice,” said the Kodiaks women’s team captain. “Our coaches have us set up little mantras each week for something we’re going to focus on, like communication, resilience, intensity, speed of play.”
DePasquale holds a lot of faith in her squad, who finished the regular season with seven wins, four losses and one tie.
“We’ve been slowly progressing a lot better over the season, doing one per cent better each game or each practice. It’ll be nice to see all our hard work pay off when we beat these teams that we’ve kind of had troubles with in the past. We perform very well under pressure, so I see no issues with hosting at all,” said DePasquale.
Though Lethbridge College is the host school, the games aren’t being held in Lethbridge. Rather, they will take place at Comet Stadium in Raymond, a small town roughly 20 minutes south of the Kodiaks’ home soil.
Todd Caughlin, Kodiaks athletic director and tournament organizer, says the decision to hold the games in Raymond boiled down to player safety.
“As much as we’d love to play on our home field in Lethbridge, the natural grass would take a beating and players would ultimately pay the price,” said Caughlin. “Multiple games per day, frost and moisture overnight––the earth just can’t handle it.”
DePasquale isn’t a huge fan of the decision, but won’t let it get to her head.
“It’s a bit unfortunate it’s out in Raymond––I mean, they have a super nice facility, but it would’ve been a bit nicer to be able to host it at our home field and have that advantage,” said DePasquale. “I’m still really excited to be hosting it in southern Alberta. Hopefully we’ll have a good turnout and lots of support from the communities in Lethbridge and Raymond.”
Built in 2016, Comet Stadium is a state-of-the-art facility that surrounds a multi-sport field made of artificial turf. Building accommodations include bleacher seating for as many as 1,200 onlookers, fully accessible washrooms and a soda shop.
The 2022 ACAC Men’s and Women’s Soccer Championships will be underway Oct. 28 to 30. Quarterfinals are on Friday, semifinals on Saturday and bronze and gold medal matches on Sunday.
General admission is $10 for a one-day pass or $25 for the entire weekend. Lethbridge College students and children under 12 get in for free. Those who can’t attend in-person can watch online by purchasing a streaming pass on ACACTV for $20.
The Kodiaks men won their first and only ACAC championship in 2019. The Kodiaks women haven’t captured a provincial banner since their lone 1994 championship, which also included a national title.