It was, without a doubt, the single biggest weekend in the history of Quest men's soccer. So far.
A trip to the Kootenays turned out to be a history-making affair for the men's Kermodes as the team captured its first win in British Columbia College Athletics Association history on Saturday (Sept. 18) and followed it up with another win on Sunday (Sept. 19).
"It was absolutely massive for us," said Kermodes head coach Adam Day. "And it was also a huge sigh of relief for me personally. We deserved to pick up a win or two last year but it didn't happen so it's nice for us to have this happen now."
Saturday saw the team travel to Kelowna to take on the UBC-Okanagan Heat and first- year winger Emad Agahi opened the scoring in the first half, but Day said the Kermodes were fortunate to be up by one after the first half.
"I thought we were a little lucky to be up 1-0 after one half," he admitted. "It could have been a big lead the other way."
The Heat tied the game up in the second half but Ryan Gobert booted home the winner, securing the Kermodes' first-ever win in BCCAA play.
"When the final whistle blew yesterday, the entire team ran onto the field to celebrate," said captain Ben MacGregor after the game. "That feeling after three years, getting that first win, is something I'll never forget. The boys were talking about it all night long."
Day said he felt particularly good for the players who had been with the Kermodes since day one.
"It was huge for the third year guys," he said. "They came into this program when there really wasn't a program at all and I'm sure it's been frustrating for them at times. It's nice for them to be able to see all the hard work pay off."
Sunday saw the Kermodes head to Kamloops to take on Thompson Rivers University (TRU), and Day arrived with a specific game plan to take on the Wolfpack.
"We wanted to play defensively strong against TRU and aim to get at least a point," he said. "We didn't concede any set plays and defended fantastically. TRU weren't really sure how to deal with us."
Mawuena Mallett scored to put the Kermodes up 1-0 in the 85th minute and they held on for the win.
"It was a controlled and mature performance," said Day. "I give full credit to our game plan and how the boys executed it."
The Kermodes Women's team also managed to gain a point in Kamloops, finishing with a 1-1 tie. On Saturday (Sept. 18) they lost 4-0 to the Heat.
Next up for the men's and women's teams is their home opener which takes place on Saturday (Sept. 25) when the University of Northern British Columbia comes to town.
The women play at 1 p.m. while the men hit the pitch at 3 p.m. with both games taking place at Quest University soccer field.
