Lakeland Rustlers Weekend Recap - Oct 16, 2023
In what could be the busiest weekend of the year for Lakeland College Athletics, multiple Rustlers teams competed over a three day span.
Rustlers Basketball
Things kicked off on Friday, with the women's basketball team debuting their host banner for the CCAA Championship in March. The ladies handled a tough Concordia team 78-55, with new point guard Missy Nuku leading the way with 32 points, 5 assists and 5 steals.
The following evening, the Rustlers handled their business again, winning 76-53. Alana Olson had 18 points and 7 rebounds.
Mens basketball did not fare as well as the women, losing 82-63 and 87-76. Abdul Al-Tamimi scored 40 points over the two games.
Rustlers Hockey
Women's hockey had a huge win in their home opener against the defending champion RDP Queens, coming from behind to win 4-2. The following evening in Red Deer, the Rustlers edged out the Queens again by a score of 2-1. Hailey Carothers, the reigning ACAC leading scorer, had 3 goals on the weekend, while Olivia Mann had a goal and 4 assists.
The team improves to 3-1 after two weeks.
Rustlers Volleyball
Volleyball also held their home opener, but first dispatched the Concordia Thunder in straight sets on the road Friday night. The women faced a young Concordia team that played hard, with Lakeland taking it by 25-16, 25-23, 25-20. Lana Matthews had 13 kills, 3 aces and 2 blocks, while Avery Bates had 13 kills and 11 digs.
In the home opener, the first set was competitive, with the Thunder tying the match at 19-19. From that point on however, the Rustlers showed the crowd that the same excellence from a year ago will be on display, winning 25-21, 25-17, 25-9. Bates had another big match with 14 kills, 2 blocks and 12 digs, while Kaylie Lueck was Player of the Match, posting 4 kills, 5 blocks and breaking the game open with her serving.
The men's team was also dominant in their weekend sweep, winning 25-11, 25-16, 25-22 on Friday. Gabe Bjorkas lead all hitters with 11 kills. Saturday's home opener went similarly, with the Rustlers winning 25-16, 25-21, 25-11. Bjorkas and Brock Tomyn each had 6 kills, while right-side Vaughn Zimmer had 9 kills.
Rustlers Soccer
And the Rustlers soccer teams had a huge, final homestand with both teams picking up four points. The women's squad defeated Portage 5-0, with Gracey Smithson, Sidney Blechinger and Darian Pluhator each picking up a goal and an assist. Smithson was POG, while Hayley Fernandes was in goal for the shut out.
Sunday's contest was a critical one, with Lakeland facing the team three points ahead of them in the standings, the NAIT Ooks. Partway through the first half, NAIT was awarded a penalty and capitalized to lead 1-0 at the half. Great pressure in the second from the Rustlers lead to several chances, before Blechinger tied the game at one. Several close calls occurred after that, with Fernandes making two spectacular saves and the Rustlers just missing the goal, and the contest finished in a draw. Sarah Mandeville won POG.
The men also blew out the Voyageurs on Saturday 6-2, backed by a 5-goal outburst from Kristian Korkis, who scored every goal in the first half. Nathan Tran returned to the lineup from an injury, scoring on a penalty in the second.
Sunday's game was one of the most intense showdowns of the soccer season, with teams playing cautiously to start. Eventually, NAIT dominated the ball and had several near misses to end the first half. In the second, the Rustlers countered the Ooks and continuously had chances near the box, including one deflection that rolled frustratingly just past the post. Nic Filipovic made several showstopping saves in the half as well and the game ended 0-0.
Both teams tying their final home games complicates the playoff picture. The women travel to Fort McMurray, needing at least a win and a tie against Keyano, as well as a loss from NAIT. In the men's matchup against the Huskies, they require at least one win and possibly more, as both Lakeland and Keyano sit one point back of NAIT and King's. Both days, the match times are 12:00 PM and 2:00 PM.
What's Coming Up
Volleyball and basketball are both off this weekend, while women's hockey host the Olds Broncos for a home stand on Friday and Saturday. In the evening game, the Rustlers will be hosting Cowboys and Cowbelles, where fans will be encouraged to show off their western wear, while Saturday afternoons game will be our Make Some Noise for Mental Health event, part of the ACAC's annual campaign for mental health awareness. Puck drop is 7:00 PM and 2:00 PM respectively.