Laith Matlak scored on a header in injury time as the Quest University men's soccer team posted a 1-1 draw with 2012 national runner-up Vancouver Island University (VIU) on Sunday (Sept. 15) in Nanaimo.
The draw, which followed a mistake-filled 4-2 loss to Capilano University on Saturday (Sept. 14), left the Kermodes with a record of no wins, two losses and two draws this season. Quest is tied for seventh in the eight-team Pacwest Conference.
Head coach Jonas Worth said the VIU team that that took the pitch on Sunday is much younger and less experienced than the squad that lost the Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association title on penalty kicks last fall. Still, the draw was a positive sign for the Kermodes, who are looking to move up in the league after a winless 2012 season.
"We've made progress in the right areas of game aggression and not being impatient on the ball," Worth said of the Kermodes. "Where we need to improve is being able to play mistake-free, focused soccer for 90 minutes.
Quest took the early lead in the first minute of Saturday's game against Capilano, but then fell behind largely because of defensive errors, Worth said.
"It was just a series of mistakes - bad tackles, diving in at the wrong time," he said.
The Quest women's team had a mixed weekend, beating Capilano 2-0 on Saturday thanks to a pair of goals from Mari Tarleton to improve their record to 3-0. But they weren't so fortunate on Sunday, suffering their first loss of the season, a 2-1 VIU victory.
Quest is 3-1-0 and stands in third place in the Pacwest. The Kermode women have been beset by injuries to at least three midfielders early in the season, but expect those players to return over the next couple of weeks, Worth said.
The two teams are at home against Thompson Rivers University and UBC-Okanagan, respectively, this weekend. Both women's games on Saturday and Sunday (Sept. 21 and 22) start at noon, while the men's games begin at 2 p.m.
