Quest鈥檚 women鈥檚 and men鈥檚 soccer teams each dropped close games at home to the visiting Capilano Blues on Oct. 6.
The Kermodes battled not only the visitors but the elements as the teams had to play through a nasty fall storm.
The women started on the back foot against Capilano, though they were able to thread the ball through the visitors鈥� defence more as the half wore on.
Capilano took the lead when a blocked shot led to a rebound that Shalie Bramley converted for the Blues about 27 minutes into the game.
Sachi Swift managed to score for Quest in the second half, but Cap鈥檚 Taylor Einhorn added one more to give the Blues the 2-1 win.
Despite the loss, Quest coach Chris Sargeant is happy with the effort and the buy-in he sees from the players.
鈥淚 thought we played very, very well,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 thought we got a little bit unlucky鈥�. We had chance after chance after chance.鈥�
While the team is still searching for a win, it has been playing close games, and it is still in transition after a coaching change, following鈥檚 Craig Smith departure for the UBC-Okanagan program.
鈥淐raig Smith, the previous coach, did a very, very good job with the team,鈥� he said. 鈥淭he idea was not to change too much too soon.鈥�
Sergeant only came on board later in the summer and has had to take over a team hit heavily by injuries. Typically, the Kermodes have been playing with a shorter bench than their opponents.
鈥淲e鈥檝e approached some games with the bare 11,鈥� he said.
The coach is not planning on making any major adjustments to how the team approaches its games as the season winds down.
鈥淲e approach the last few games like we approach any game,鈥� he said.
He is also looking toward the future, using exhibition games in the spring as a way to build the team, as well as work on team fitness to help reduce injury risk.
During the men鈥檚 game, Thursday鈥檚 weather only got worse. The Kermodes were constantly being pressured through much of the first half and only rarely making any in-roads toward the Capilano 18-yard box.
Early in the match, Capilano鈥檚 Kristian Yli-Hietane converted an easy tap-in to get the Blues on the scoreboard.聽
Quest鈥檚 best chances in the first half came from Nick Park and Jeremy Monn, though the team never really threatened Capilano.
As the game wore on, the Kermodes fought back and by the end were the aggressors. Several times they pressured the Blues in their own zone, winning a number of corner kicks.
Late in the game, Capilano almost converted on a counterstrike, but the Kermode line held and forced the ball down for a final push on net but could not break through on the score sheet, giving the visitors the 1-0 victory.
Quest and Capilano were to have a rematch on Saturday in North Vancouver, but the games were postponed.
The Kermodes play their final home games of the season this Sunday afternoon, when both the women鈥檚 and men鈥檚 team host Douglas.聽
The women start at noon, with the men to follow at 2:30 p.m.
