From winning a bronze medal on the grass pitch to hitting the hard court at Lethbridge College, Lethbridge College Kodiaks women’s futsal team is ready for the upcoming season.
The team lost one game and tied the other against the University of Lethbridge Pronghorns.
Sean Carey, Kodiaks women’s head coach, said the team will need to be in the right state of mind if it wants a chance at winning provincials.
“You know just keep the nerves away because the girls that were here last year are going to expect it. I think sometimes when you expect it, you can’t deliver. You have to be in the right frame of mind and I think that is going to be our biggest challenge.”
Last year, the Kodiaks came up short at the ACAC Futsal Championships against the Medicine Hat Rattlers- taking home the silver medal.
It was the Kodiaks second year playing at the championships and it earned its first futsal medal in college history.
Carey believes this year’s team is capable of winning the gold.
“We need to make the same game we made last year, we need to be playing for that championship banner. We are deeper than we were last year and I think we have all the tools [to win].”
Vicky Noronha, Kodiaks forward, said the team is looking to build from last year’s silver medal performance.
“We just want to keep building the program and just get stronger. We had a good result at the championships last year. I think the goal is to just get to a medal game in the end.”
The Kodiaks will be the host team for this year’s ACAC Futsal Championships.
Carey says as the home team, there will always be pressure.
“You expect it and for some of the girls it’s new territory for them, but they just need to keep focused. It’s just another game, it’s just another day.”
According to Carey, the girls you will want to watch throughout the season are Noronha as well as defender Christine Moser as both of them are the goal-scorers on the team.
Carey believes any one of the girls can be a game-changer for them throughout the season.
The team’s season will start with tune-up tournaments in early 2019 before the championships on March 15 to 17 at the college’s Val Matteotti gymnasium.