Another win for Rustlers Athletics

Rustlers Athletics had another big win on the final weekend of ACAC competition.

Lakeland's futsal teams traveled south for the 2026 Championships in Medicine Hat, where the men earned a bronze medal on Sunday. Both teams outperformed their ranking heading into the weekend.

Things kicked off Thursday evening, where four Rustlers were named to the All-Conference Teams. Rookie Addison Allen made it for the women's team, while Josh Malin, Ben Touw and keeper Orrin Edighoffer were named for the men.

Friday morning's 8:00 am start had the women facing the top ranked Concordia Thunder, a team recently added to the futsal league, but filled with winning experience from the soccer pitch. The Rustlers struggled the first half, ultimately losing 6-0. Lindsey SLuar was the Player of the Game.

Saturday, Lakeland bounced back against the Keyano Huskies, pulling off the 5-4 victory. Addison Allen was one of the goal scorers for the Rustlers, earning the POG nod, qualifying the team for the backdoor bronze semifinal on Sunday. There, they competed hard, but fell short 6-2 against last year's champs, the SAIT Trojans. Allyssa Heidel scored both goals.

The men's team was also in a tough spot round one, facing the defending champions and tournament host Medicine Hat Rattlers. They quick;y found themselves in a deficit and trailed by as much as 7-1, however, they were able to fight back with a flurry of goals to cut the lead to three. Turnovers allowed the Rattlers add to the total and win 9-4. Josh Malin, two goals, was the POG.

Saturday morning, the men bounced back with a 4-1 victory over Concordia. Edighoffer received POG, making a huge save on a penalty kick. That moved the men into the bronze semis, where they faced the King's Eagles, a team they split with in the regular season. Despite trailing multiple times, including 3-2, the Rustlers kept responding to TKU, eventually winning 5-3. Vinny Da Silva, one of the five Rustlers to score in the game, was the POG.

This lead to the afternoon, where Lakeland faced the Keyano Huskies in the bronze medal matchup. Unlike their previous games, this was a defensive battle, with Rustlers keeping their system play solidly intact during the contest. Partway through the first half, Jack Money converted a pass from Malin to put the squad up 1-0 and they never looked back, holding on through regulation to earn the program's ninth podium finish and second bronze in four years.

Jason Rail received POG honours, while Malin was named a Tournament All-Star.

Both futsal programs will have players participate in the annual coed tournament this upcoming weekend on Lloydminster Campus, before shifting to outdoor soccer this spring in preparation of next year.