The Quest University Kermodes have served notice: They're for real.
The Kermode women's soccer team improved to four wins and zero losses after defeating both the Kwantlen Eagles and the Douglas College Royals this past weekend. The terrific start to the season marks the best run in school history for any team.
Men's and women's head coach last year Jonas Worth said the team's growth has been hard not to notice.
"If you think about how Kwantlen beat them 6-0 in the playoffs last year, for them to go out and beat Kwantlen like that this year is a huge signal to the league that this team is different," he said. "They're starting to think big and rightfully so."
The women's team exacted a little revenge on the aforementioned Kwantlen team, beating them 4-3 on Saturday (Sept. 24). They followed that by blanking Douglas College 2-0 on Sunday (Sept. 25). The four straight victories have already set a school record for most wins in a season.
For the men's team, the weekend was a bit of a mixed bag.
Injuries continue to haunt the team, as defender James McKinley (broken wrist) and midfielder John Aikins-Slade (concussion) both missed significant portions of the team's two weekend games. Despite several players missing time, Worth said he still likes the way his team is coming together.
"This team and my coaching ability is being pushed to the limits in terms of the losses we've had," he said. "I've been careful in the way I've staffed and prepared the team but it's amazing how all the preparation in the world can't protect you against injuries."
But it wasn't all bad news for the men's team, as the Kermodes kicked off the weekend by beating Kwantlen 2-0 on Saturday.
"We really followed the game plan exactly how we wanted to and didn't get caught up in any of the physical or refereeing decisions," Worth said, noting it was a tightly called game. "We were able to take some risks offensively and the boys executed them in an excellent fashion."
Striker Maweuna Mallett scored both goals for the Kermodes and Worth said it was good to see one of his top players get on the score sheet.
"It was nice to see him score because he's the type of player who always creates chances," he said. "He's a guy who's going to get chances every game and his finishing was quite intelligent on Saturday."
The men's team took on top-ranked Douglas the next day, playing them hard but coming up short.
"It was 0-0 right up until the 84th minute," Worth said. "But then they got a free kick and Lucas Menz made an amazing save, but the ball bounced around and they knocked it in."
Worth said the team's response to the late goal was encouraging.
"We had two or three good chances on goal and Maweuna even hit the crossbar," he said. "The boys response to falling down 1-0 to the best team in the province was amazing. If we can respond and play like that come playoff time with all of our players back, I like our chances."
It will be another busy weekend upcoming for both teams, as they play home-and-home series against the Langara Falcons. Langara will host Quest on Saturday (Oct. 1), with the Falcons coming to Quest Field on Sunday (Oct. 2). The women's team will hit the pitch at noon on Sunday, with the men starting at 2 p.m.
For more information on the team, visit www.questkermodes.ca.
