Huskies and Rattlers are ACAC Futsal Champions

by ACAC Sports Writer Curtis J. Phillips

With their fifth consecutive Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference (ACAC) women's futsal gold medal, the Medicine Hat College Rattlers join a select group of only six other ACAC schools to have won more five or more consecutive banners in the same sport discipline.

Of the remaining ACAC schools, since the inaugural year in 1964, and with the current sports lineup offered; Red Deer Kings/Queens volleyball ranks the highest, tied with eight consecutive title seasons.

SAIT Trojans were hardwood champs seven straight times in men's hoops, while Lethbridge Kodiaks men's basketball, MacEwan Griffins women's golf and Red Deer women's cross country had each won five straight banners in their respective sports.

Rattlers shutout the Kodiaks 3-0 Sunday in Lloydminster, Alberta at the 2018 ACAC Futsal Championships event hosted by the Lakeland College Rustlers.

To get to the final ,the Rattlers scores were: Medicine Hat 6 Keyano College Huskies 0, Medicine Hat 4 Lethbridge 3 and Medicine Hat 3 The Kings University Eagles 0.

Kodiaks, only their second year in the program, advanced to the finals by scores of Lethbridge 4 Ambrose College Lions 1, Lethbridge 1 Keyano College Huskies 4 and a 1-0 semi-final decision against the University of Alberta Augustana Vikings.

Vikings edged the Eagles 2-1 for women's bronze medal status.

Gabriel Koebsch (left) and brother Rodrigo Wogel Koebsch celebrate Keyano Huskies men's futsal championship.

After a one-year gold medal hiatus, the Huskies manouvered their way to their fifth ACAC Men's Futsal banner in the last six years, with an penalty shootout 3-2 score against the Olds College Broncos.

Tied 1-1 after regulation, Gabriel Koebsch scored at 2:45 of double overtime to send the game to penalty kicks.

Gabriel's older brother Rodrigo Wogel Koebsch scored the only goal in penalty kick sessions for the win.

"It's 50 minutes and the game can go much longer with stoppage time and possible overtime, so we had to pace ourselves," said Huskies head coach Murad Sukru, of the Huskies five-man side, which was playing with no substitutions as Joseph Lambele had hurt his leg in the semi-final 6-5 decision against defending champ Medicine Hat Rattlers earlier in the day. Teammate Pedro Bianchi had received a red card in the same match.

Huskies goalie Cruz Coronel made all three penalty kicks, the last one, "knocking the wind out of him," said Sukru.

"Cruz was a left back transitioning into a goal keeper and I could not be more proud of how he stepped up for the team and stepped up for the program and won tournament MVP. That last shot knocked the wind out of him and I went over to him (when Coronel was prone on the floor) and he looked up and told me that he did not know if he could face one more shot. He did not realize that the game was over. He did not know where he was for a second."

Huskies beat Kodiaks 9-1, Rustlers 10-2., Lions 7-2 and defending champ Rattlers 6-5 in the semi-final.

Broncos also went undefeated in prior contests: Olds 2 Rattlers 0, Olds 6 Vikings 2, Olds 3 Eagles 2 and Olds 5 Lakeland 2.

Olds last ever medal in men's futsal was in 2011-2012 in the bronze medal match 3-2 to the Huskies.

"I think it is pretty huge for the college and program to be where we are," said Broncos head coach Macky Singh. "We stepped away from futsal for a while (2015-2016) and this year we went all the way to the finals.

"It shows good development for not only our futsal program this year but soccer as well."

Rattlers beat Lakeland 5-2 to claim bronze medal status.