Two seasons ago, Quest men鈥檚 soccer team lost in a shootout to the top-seeded VIU Mariners in the opening round of the PACWEST tournament.
This time around, in the bronze game, the team had its revenge, again going to penalty kicks after a scoreless draw with VIU but this time coming out the victor after Benedikt Dressen scored to give the Kermodes the win 6-5 on kicks.
Coach Alexander Elliott was confident with keeper Sam MacDonald in net the team had a good chance to beat the Mariners, this year鈥檚 number two seed.
鈥淥ur team really values Sam MacDonald as our goalkeeper,鈥� he said. 鈥淗e鈥檚 just a phenomenal athlete who works so hard.鈥�
The team鈥檚 feat was all the more impressive in light of the experience of the team, which included 12 freshmen in its ranks this year.
鈥淭hey all kept their nerve,鈥� Elliott said. 鈥淲e weren鈥檛 expecting fireworks for such a young team.鈥�
At the end of the regular season, Quest sealed a tournament bid with a decisive 5-1 win over Langara.
鈥淥bviously, both teams were going for a spot in the playoffs,鈥� Elliott said.
For the coach, an important stepping stone for the team this year was a trip to Thompson Rivers University in August for a couple of pre-season games. There, the Kermodes earned a 1-1 tie against the host team and pulled off a 2-1 win over the University of Northern B.C.
This helped galvanize the group, especially the young players, and the coach credits the attitude of his first-year players, especially a couple of standouts.
For example, forward Jeremy Monn scored seven times this year, including the playoffs, to rack up the most goals ever by a Kermode men鈥檚 player during a season.
鈥淗e did a fantastic job,鈥� the coach said. 鈥淎 goal scorer is not easy to find.鈥�
At the defensive end, Patricio Gonzalez has also been a key presence, though Elliott said many young players played important roles during the season.
鈥淏oth those freshmen and others deserve some recognition,鈥� he said.
While the team has been light on veterans, the coach credits the leadership of more experienced players, such as MacDonald, Vikram Puri and Theo Lorenz, who was named a men鈥檚 conference all-star, for their leadership. (Kelsey Green was also named a women鈥檚 conference all-star.)
鈥淲hat I鈥檓 most proud of is the way the freshmen bought into what the returners brought,鈥� Elliott said.
For many, the experience of two years ago strengthened their resolve and the win had some added emotional weight for them, the coach adds.
The experience of winning bronze with a young team will only help the Kermodes when it comes to the 2017 campaign, as will their spring season of exhibition games.
鈥淲e鈥檙e already starting to plan for spring season,鈥� Elliott said.
The spring campaign comes with less pressure than the regular season, and it helps gives the team regular training and provides a way for the group to bond.
鈥淭he more they get to know each other鈥� that鈥檚 where they can really make progress,鈥� the coach said.
