ACAC Women's Futsal Championship Recap | February 12, 2018
The Lakeland Rustlers Women's Futsal team competed in the ACAC Futsal Championships held in Lloydminster over the weekend, finishing with a 1-2 record.
The Rustlers started off the tournament with a 7-1 win against the Olds College Broncos Friday afternoon. The Rustlers got out to a lead early before opening up a 3-0 lead at the half. The Rustlers would outscore the Broncos 4-1 in the second half on the way to the win. The Rustlers were led by Rayna Hamieh, who scored three goals, while Rachel Fogh scored twice and Jordyn Stratychuk and Ashley Miller each added one goal.
Saturday morning, the Rustlers faced the King's Eagles and lost the game 4-2. The teams scored in bunches in the first half, with the Eagles taking a 3-2 lead after 25 minutes. The Rustlers held the Eagles scoreless for much of the second half, but gave up a goal in the final minute and missed many good scoring opportunities. Leading the way for the Rustlers were Olivia Lay and Jordyn Stratychuk, who each scored one goal for the Rustlers.
The Rustlers faced the University of Alberta – Augustana Vikings Saturday afternoon in what was a must-win game for the Rustlers to move on to the medal round. The Vikings took a 3-0 lead at the half, and while the Rustlers got on the scoreboard in the second half, they could not overcome the early deficit, as the Vikings went on to win 6-1. Rayna Hamieh scored the lone goal for the Rustlers.
Rustlers Head Coach Kevin Wagner shared his thoughts on the weekend following the tournament. "We started well and had strong first game," Wagner said, "then we actually played well second game, but a couple things happened and goals that shouldn't have gone in did, so we didn't win that game to guarantee a spot in the medal round. Then Saturday afternoon the rebound game just didn't happen."
Wagner also spoke about how the tournament and futsal season shape the Rustlers soccer and futsal group going forward. "We are looking at core group coming back next year and are continuing to work on the recruiting side," Wagner said. "We just need to refine our defending, but I think it's a good start. Right now, we are not talented enough to be able to make a whole bunch of errors and still win, but we are consistently getting better and giving ourselves a chance to win."