Lakeland Rustlers Weekend Recap - September 23, 2024
This past weekend was jam-packed for Rustlers Athletics, with important lessons for all teams involved.
Rustlers Soccer
The women's and men's soccer squads held two home games each against the visiting Keyano Huskies, one of the top programs in the ACAC, a critical matchup for both team's playoff hopes. Saturday afternoon was a rough outing for the ladies, who quickly fell behind in the first half and struggled against a coordinated Keyano attack, losing 7-0. Sloane Cannon was the Player of the Game for the Rustlers.
On Sunday, fans in attendance at VLA Fields saw a drastically different Lakeland team, putting early pressure on the Huskies women and nearly opening the scoring, but hitting two cross bars in less than 10 seconds. Keyano responded with a shot just underneath the bar on the other end, before the rest of the game became a back-and-forth battle, with both teams having chances. Eventually, a late penalty kick sealed the Rustlers fate, as they lost 2-0. Leah Rioux was the POG, as the women fall to 3-3 on the season.
The men also had a poor start Saturday, allowing two goals in the first half against a potent Huskies squad. Despite a solid effort in the second half, Lakeland wasn't able to make up the deficit in a 3-1 loss. Oba Nassar, the Rustlers lone scorer, earned the POG nomination, while last year's Male Athlete of the Year Hani Tekheste was in attendance to present the POG awards.
The second game was another battle, with the Huskies capitalizing on a Rustlers turnover. In the second half, an own-goal put the men further behind, before another tally from Nassar brought Lakeland back within one. Despite several chances, the Rustlers were unable to tie the game in a 2-1 loss. Gavin Quinlan was named POG.
Other Rustler squads participated preseason action over the weekend. Women's hockey lost 4-3 to the University of Saskatchewan Huskies, while men's basketball had an unofficial scrimmage against the U of S as well. Men's and women's volleyball held their annual home tournament, featuring ACAC teams like Olds and Augustana, along with Manitoba schools like Assiniboine College and Canadian Mennonite University. Both Austin and Taylor Dyer's programs ran split squads over three days, getting court time for everyone on the roster.
The women went undefeated over eight matches, which included tight victories over Keyano and the King's Eagles, while the men went 4-5, losing close contests against Olds and Augustana.
Next week, several teams have exhibition play, but the soccer teams have another critical weekend of league games, facing the Eagles and the Concordia Thunder. The latter matchup is back at VLA Fields Sunday afternoon.