2019/20 ACAC Soccer Championships Preview

For the second year in a row, the Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference (ACAC) Men's and Women's Soccer Championships will be hosted by a single school.

Last year the SAIT Trojans hosted the finals in Calgary with the NAIT Ooks kicking to gold in both finals, which were played on Cohos Commons Field's state-of-the-art synthetic turf field.

This year the defending Ooks host the ACAC tournament October 25 - 27, 2019 at Emerald Hills Regional Park located in Sherwood Park.

Of the 12 teams participating, there will be five schools with both men's and women's teams competing: the Concordia University of Edmonton Thunder, The Kings University Eagles, Lethbridge College Kodiaks, NAIT Ooks and SAIT Trojans.

Below are thumbnail sketches of the respective participating teams.

2019 ACAC Men's Soccer Championships Schedule

Game 1 | Friday, October 25, 2019, 4 p.m. Quarterfinal

The Kings University Eagles vs. Lethbridge College Kodiaks

The Kings University Eagles

Head Coach: Todd Van Driel

2019 Record:  6-3-3

ACAC Championships: 0

Top Scorers:  

• Raphael Duarte: 5 goals, 2 assists
• Antonio Krajancic: 3 goals, 2 assists
• Aaron Steenhof: 3 goals, 2 assists
• Luke Harris: 4 goals 

Top Keeper: 

• Tosh Hartley: Save percentage .844

The King's last victory was September 29, 2019, when they defeated the host Lakeland College Rustlers 1-0. Since then, they had three ties and two defeats. Kings had no red cards for the season. Todd Van Driel was ACAC North Conference Men's Soccer Coach of the Year last year.

Lethbridge Kodiaks

Head Coach: Sean Carey

2019 Record: 8-1-3

ACAC Championships: 0

Top Scorers:  

• Jimmy Bukuru: 10 goals, 1 assist 
• Sodiq Adekunle: 8 goals, 2 assists
• Ben Knight: 3 goals, 12 assists

Top Keeper: 

Cody Ferguson: Save percentage .879

Ben Knight was ACAC All-Conference last year and led the ACAC in assists this year with 12. "Nationals is our expectation," says Carey in a preseason interview. "We feel this is the deepest team we've ever had, and we're not going to micromanage them. We're going to give them direction and the game plan, but then we're going to let them loose to go out and play." Carey made history last year as he was the first-ever ACAC soccer coach to be named ACAC Men's and Women's Soccer Coach of the Year (North or South Conference) during the same season.

Game 2 | Friday, October 25, 2019, 6:30 p.m. Quarterfinal

Red Deer College Kings vs. Concordia University of Edmonton Thunder

Red Deer College Kings

Head Coach: Wade Groenewegen

2019 Record:  7-3-2

ACAC Championships: 0

Top Scorers:  

• Nathan Swartz: 7 goals, 4 assists
• Pedro Humberto Mourao Neto 7 goals, 2 assists

Top Keeper:

• Jacob Hamilton: Save percentage .734

Of their opening match at provincials, Groenewegen said in an interview, "Each game as it comes. We will do everything we can to win that one game, and hopefully, we get another and do everything we can to win that one." King's biggest differential win in the regular season was a 6-1 decision over the host University of Alberta Augustana Vikings while they also had a 5-0 victory against the Ambrose University Lions.

First, in the ACAC in corner kicks with a total of 81 and also first with red cards at 4.

Concordia University of Edmonton Thunder

Head Coach: Hussein Shabdi

2019 Record:  8-3-1

ACAC Championships: 3

Top Scorers:  

• Ahmed Abubaker: 15 goals, 2 assists 
• Armaan Bhinder: 7 goals, 6 assists
• Victor Majome: 5 goals, 3 assists

Top Keeper:

• Scott Hornbeck: Save percentage .857

Ahmed Abubaker was second in league goals with 15 goals. He led the 14-team ACAC men's soccer conference with the shot percentage at .223.

Game 3 | Saturday, October 26, 2019, 4 p.m. Semi-Final

Winner of Game 1 vs. NAIT Ooks

NAIT Ooks

Head Coach: Charles O'Toole

2019 Record:  12-0-0

ACAC Championships: 11

Top Scorers: 

• Matthew Zima: 20 goals, 3 assists
• Ayomidimeji Ayolade: 12 goals, 5 assists
• Cristian Lima: 9 goals, 7 assists
• Abraham Jones: 8 goals, 3 assists

Top Keeper:  

• Zach Black: Save percentage .875
• Julius Nsapu: Save percentage .857

Matthew Zima led the ACAC in goals with 20. Last time an ACAC men's player scored 20 goals or more in a regular-season was 1996-1997 when John Pino had 29 goals in 10 games for the MacEwan Griffins. Zima had 14 goals last year. A Ayolade, M Zima and C Lima were ranked 2nd-4th in the ACAC in shots with 54, 47 and 43, respectively. Led ACAC in goals 58 and assists 35.

Game 4 | Saturday, October 26, 2019, 6:30 p.m. Semi-Final

Winner of Game 2 vs. SAIT Trojans

SAIT Trojans

Head Coach: Connor Brady

2019 Record: 10-1-1

ACAC Championships: 1

Top Scorers:  

• Armando Garcia: 12 goals, 2 assists
• Zach Michaud: 5 goals, 4 assists
• Eduardo Filho: 5 goals, 4 assists

Top Keeper: 

• Marko Ilich: Save percentage .864

"I think this season has been good for us," said Trojans head coach Connor Brady said in an interview posted on the SAIT website. "We've faced a lot of adversity this year, which has made us stronger, and it's nice to go into the Championship with a competitive game like we had today. Their field suits their type of play and not ours, but we stayed patient and ended up with the win. "We have many returning players from last year that still have a bad taste in their mouth from that game. 

We're looking for some redemption." Trojans lost in the semifinal on their pitch last year 1-0 to the Thunder in double overtime.

Armando Garcia was tied for third in league goals with 12. Head coach Connor Brady guided the Keyano Huskies to three consecutive ACAC men's soccer gold medals from 2015-2017. Trojans first in ACAC with 284 shots, which were ten higher than NAIT for the 12-game regular season.

2019 ACAC Women's Soccer Preview

Game 1 | Friday, October 25, 2019, 11 a.m. Quarterfinal

The Kings University Eagles vs. SAIT Trojans

The Kings University Eagles

Head Coach: Richard Haxby

2019 Record: 5-5-2

ACAC Championships: 0

Top Scorers:  

• Aimee Tiemstra: 9 goals, 4 assists
• Gabriella Rocque: 5 goals, 3 assists

Top Keeper: 

• Isabelle King: Save percentage .797

Second consecutive year-in-a-row that the Kings have made the postseason. Last year they lost in the opener quarterfinal 2-1 to the Lethbridge Kodiaks. Kings had entered the ACAC women's soccer ranks in 2002-2003, and last year was their first taste of playoff action.

Only two players on the roster are not from Alberta. Goalie Emily Stolte is from Smithers, B.C. and midfielder Michaela Anderson from Nelson, B.C. Both are rookies. The 33 goals scored this year are nearly double their previous best, which was 17 last year.

SAIT Trojans

Head Coach: John Talerico

2019 Record: 7-3-2

ACAC Championships: 1

Top Scorers:  

• Jade Metz: 13 goals, 3 assists
• Mackenzie Georgsen: 7 goals, 7 assists 

Top Keeper: 

• Amy Offredi: Save percentage .827
• Stine Thorne: Save percentage .872 save percentage

"A few weeks ago, if you would have told me that's how things were going to end, I'm not sure I would have believed you," said Trojans head coach John Talerico in an interview posted on SAIT website. "But you know, our confidence just grew and grew minute by minute. They now believe they can go far because we have played so well down the stretch. To get in was sweet, and to get the second seed by beating Olds at home was even more sweeter."

Of the upcoming championships: "Anything's possible, and we have nothing to lose. We're approaching it like we did today's game – as warriors. Like I said, I truly believe we can go far and the girls understand that as well." Last time they Trojans had less than 30 goals for the season was 2016-2017 when they broke the mesh for 24.

John Talerico was ACAC Women's Soccer South Conference Coach of the Year in 2017.

Game 2 | Friday, October 25, 2019, 1:30 p.m. Quarterfinal

Olds College Broncos vs. Concordia University of Edmonton Thunder

Olds College Broncos

Head Coach: Niels Slotboom

2019 Record:  7-4-1

ACAC Championships: 0

Top Scorers:  

• Felicia Rodney: 15 goals, 2 assists
• Katharina Oeltermann: 7 goals, 2 assists

Top Keeper: 

• Jewels Hallock: Save percentage .892 save percentage

Felicia Rodney had seven goals in a single game as the Broncos beat the Red Deer College Queens 8-1 on October 13, 2019. It tied the ACAC single game record shared by Kayla Michaels, NAIT, 2014-15; Leanne Kadatz, NAIT, 2010-11 and Kristen Johnson, MacEwan Griffins, 1996-97. The Broncos have five rookies with the remaining roster, all second-year student-athletes. 

Concordia University of Edmonton Thunder

Head Coach: Franco Imbrogno

2019 Record: 11-1-0

ACAC Championships:  2

Top Scorers:  

• Rebecca Leavell: 19 goals, 4 assists
• Breanna Callander: 10 goals, 3 assists
• Elizabeth Crothers: 9 goals, 2 assists

Top Keeper: 

• Monica Dickson: Save percentage .792 

Kennedy Ballam, Rebecca Leavell and Paige Martin were South Conference All-Star selections last year, Franco Imbrogno was ACAC Women's Soccer South Conference Coach of the Year in 2014 and 2015.

The entire Thunder roster is from Alberta, and there is only one 5th year player with midfielder Gabby Bayne. The 67 goals for shatters the previous team record of 52 established in 2012. Thunder was No. 1 in corner kicks with 74.

Game 3 | Saturday, October 26, 2019, 11 a.m. Semi-Final

Winner of Game 1 vs. NAIT Ooks

NAIT Ooks

Head Coach: Carole Holt

2019 Record: 11-1-0

ACAC Championships: 9

Top Scorers:  

• Marissa Webb: 19 goals, 5 assists
• Aoi Komori: 14 goals, 7 assists
• Vanessa Minckler: 12 goals, 4 assists 

Top Keeper: 

• Toni Burse: Save percentage .875

The big shocker for the Ooks was that they lost the final game of the season 2-1 to the Concordia Thunder this past Sunday. "We knew it was going to be a tough game. Our goal was to finish top of the league and clinch a bye going into provincials, which we did. I am proud of our team, and now we will reset and get ready for next weekend," said Ooks' head coach Carole Holt in the Game Recap. Last time the Ooks lost a regular-season game was October 14, 2017, to the Grande Prairie Regional College Wolves. Before that, you have to go back to October 20, 2013, when they fell to the MacEwan Griffins 3-2.

Carole Holt has been named ACAC Women's North Conference Coach of the Year in 2017 and 2018. A total of 78 goals beat the previous ACAC record by three when the Ooks broke mesh 75 times in 2014. NAIT lead the league in shots percentage at .333

Game 4 | Saturday, October 26, 2019, 1:30 p.m. Semi-Final

Winner of Game 2 vs. Lethbridge Kodiaks

Lethbridge Kodiaks

Head Coach: Sean Carey

ACAC Championships: 1

2019 Record: 9-1-2

Top Scorers:  

• Vicki Noronha: 9 goals, 3 assists
• Haylie Shoults: 5 goals, 7 assists
• Olivia DePasquale: 5 goals, 5 assists

Top Keeper: 

• Micaela Stone: Save percentage .816

Kodiaks showcase seven local players, including goalkeeper Micaela Stone. Midfielder Vicki Noronha from Brooks, Alberta, is in her fifth and final year. Kodiaks led the 14-team ACAC women's conference with 284 shots and shots per game at 23.7.