Kodiaks kick off provincials today
There are no easy games from here on in.
As they get set to open the Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference championship today in Calgary, nobody has to tap the Lethbridge College Kodiaks men’s and women’s soccer teams on the shoulder to remind them.
After clinching provincial berths last weekend — the first time since 2015 both teams have qualfied for the ACAC tournament — both Kodiaks teams open against the Kings University Eagles in the quarter-finals today.
The Kodiaks women kick off the day’s play at 9:30 a.m. before the men wrap it up at 4 p.m.
As the second-seeded Kodiak men (7-3-2) get ready to face the Eagles — third seed in the ACAC North at 4-2-4 — Kodiaks head coach Sean Carey said his team knows they’ll have to deal with a formidable opponent today if the wish to advance to the weekend portion of the ACAC championship.
“We always expect a hard game when you get down to the final-six,” said Carey. “They’re going to be a tough team to knock out. We know they’re physical and we know they’ve got some speed up front. We played them in the preseason, So we know they like to get the ball wide and they come at you with speed. You know what? We’ll be ready for it. We’ve had a meeting about it and the boys know what’s expected of them.
The Kodiaks women come into the ACAC championships as the third-ranked team in the CCAA national rankings, winning three of four Grand Prix races this season.
“We’re so happy that all the girls came back,” said Johansson.
“With Sophia being undefeated, we're crossing our fingers for her and Emily (should be) top five or six. In Salma (Moreira) is in the top 10 or 12. The fourth girl, whether that’s Janelle (Graham) or Brooklyn (Vogel) or Rebecca (Sweeney). We have three girls that can be that fourth scoring girl.”
The Kodiak men — a fiverunner contingent this year — are ranked 13th in the CCAA national rankings and are coming off a fourth-place finish in the final ACAC Grand Prix of the season in Camrose.
“I think on the men’s side we have quality,” said Johansson. “We have Timothy (Kimaiyo) and Connor (Jackson) and Kevin (Kipchumba). He keeps improving.
“But I think with Daniel now, he’s going to be the key factor. He’s our captain and he has to be ready to go and I’m crossing my fingers. So if he finishes strong and if Tanner can come up from the back, but really, we’re looking at those four men to compete.”
Robdrup has embraced to the chance to lead the smaller men’s team this season.
“It’s a closer group of guys, having only five on a team,” he said. “You spend some more time together with everybody. So it’s a really great cohesion we’ve got going. It’s been great. Being able to kind of mentor as well because I’ve been in the sport a little bit longer than some of these younger guys have. So being able to spread some knowledge and support my team while not running, I’ve been able to go out and cheer them on and still make every single race out there.”
In addition to her national bronze medal last year, Nowicki won bronze at the ACAC championship.
With an undefeated record this season, she’s set herself nicely for a potential repeat performance.
“I’ve been training well this season so the goal has been to run just the way I’ve been running throughout the season,” said Nowicki. “I’m not planning to run really fast race, I’m planning to run a smart race. I’m trying to run for placement night time and hopefully get back another win.”
Having already competed in Vermilion at the end of September, Nowicki is familiar with what lies ahead this weekend.
“It’s a hilly course. It’s nice because at the very end in the very beginning there’s a pretty big hill, which is nice because I like finishing that way in a race. Especially because a lot of people are so exhausted by the end of the race it’s hard for people to be consistent running up the hill. That’s why I like finishing on it because all I do all summer is running hills so it’s a bit more of an edge for me.
“Throughout the course, it’s rolling hills which is nice. It just keeps your running going at it’s smooth. At the end, about a kilometre, it’s flat, which is where I struggle. So for me it’s really focusing on that area just making sure I keep my place.”
The top three teams on each of the women’s and men’s sides, plus the top seven individual runners all qualify for the CCAA national championships.
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