Futsal Teams Compete at North Qualifier
The Rustler Futsal teams competed in their first ACAC competition this past weekend in Lac La Biche in a Conference Championship qualifier hosted by Portage College.
Both teams played some great games over the weekend, with the men's team moving on to the Conference Championships hosted by Keyano College March 10 - 12
The women's team started the weekend off with a tough loss to the Keyano Huskies by a 6 – 2 score. The Rustlers battled hard in the first regular game of the season but fell to the Huskies. Mia Agioritis was named player of the game for the Rustlers. Saturday morning the Rustlers took on the host Portage Voyageurs where they scored early and often on their way to an 8 – 0 victory and even their record at 1 and 1. Gracey Smithson was selected as player of the game for the Rustlers. In game three the Rustlers challenged the NAIT Ooks in a defensive battle. The Rustlers played a great game and squeaked out a 2 – 1 win. Megan Hockley played a solid game for the Rustlers and was rewarded with a player of the game selection for her effort. The first game on Sunday morning pitted the Rustlers against the King's University Eagles. The Rustlers built a lead but were unable to maintain it and when the final whistle blew the game ended in a 3 – 3 draw.
Annika Brown was named player of the game for the Rustlers.
Going into their final game of the weekend the Rustlers needed to secure a win against the always-tough North West Polytech Wolves. The Rustlers built an early lead and were up 3 – 2 before the Wolves scored the equalizer and shortly after the game-winner.
The player of the game was Hayley Fernandez for the Rustlers.
Although the Rustler women's team did not qualify for the Conference Championships the team played well consistently over the weekend.
On the men's side, the Rustlers also started out against the Keyano Huskies. The game was a close affair but in the end, the Huskies eked out a 5 – 4 victory over the Rustlers on Friday night. Saturday morning the Rustlers were able to get on the winning track with a 7 – 2 win over the host Portage Voyageurs. Saturday afternoonthe Rustlers took on the NAIT Ooks and were never really able to get control of the game and fell to the Ooks by a score of 5 – 2.
Sunday the Rustlers needed to string together a couple of victories to finish off the weekend to hit the cut-off to qualify for the ACAC Championships. Lakeland played a solid defensive game against the King's University Eagles and put four goals past the Eagles' keeper to secure their first victory of the day 4 - 0. Next up for the Rustlers were the NWP Wolves. In another must-win game for the Rustlers, they once again came together as a team to play some solid defense and score three goals to finish off the weekend with a 3 – 0 win and a final weekend record of 3 wins and two losses good enough for 3rd place and a trip to the ACAC Championships in March.
Congratulations to both teams who represented Lakeland well over the weekend