It took the Quest Kermodes women's soccer team one game to accomplish what took them almost a month to do last year - lose a game.
Quest opened the 2012 season against Capilano on Saturday (Sept. 8), losing 3-2 in a shocker. The Kermodes built a 2-1 lead on goals from Mari Tarleton and Becky Schile, but immediately after scoring the go-ahead marker, Capilano evened the score with a long boot off the kickoff that sailed over the head of starting goalie Taylor Shantz. The Blues added another goal two minutes later for the win.
The squad returned to the pitch on Sunday (Sept. 9) for a date with Vancouver Island University (VIU). Despite several scoring chances, including one from Tarleton that hit the crossbar, the game concluded in a 0-0 draw. Shantz played a strong game and picked up the first shutout in her Pacwest career.
The men's team had a tall task, taking on the silver- and gold-medal-winning teams from last year in Capilano on Saturday and VIU on Sunday. The Blues grabbed a 1-0 lead early into the second half but Laith Matlak evened the game with seconds to go to and Quest managed to pick up a single point.
Kermodes head coach Jonas Worth said the warm weather may have contributed to the slow start from both teams.
"The heat really seemed to take effect on Saturday," he said, noting it was close to 30 degrees Celsius on the pitch. "We came out super sluggish, but in the end Laith got a big goal for us with moments left."
Sunday saw the Kermodes host VIU and after falling behind 1-0 in the first half, Charles Impey knotted the game up at 1 with a header midway through the second half. However, the Mariners responded shortly after and added a late goal for the 3-1 win. Worth said he was pleased with his team's efforts against the Pacwest champions.
"We played a lot better today [Sunday] and guys were a lot more positive out there," he said. "I thought we matched up well against their 4-5-1 set-up, but they're a team that is physical, they play physical and they know they can get away with it."
Worth pointed out that Quest was forced to make a substitution after defender Derek McKinnon suffered a cut after the tying goal. According to Worth, the coaching staff of the Mariners made the referee aware of the injury and it stalled some of Quest's momentum.
Despite the loss, Worth said he was impressed with several of his players.
"We already knew Evan [Cross] would be excellent and he's played well early on," he said. "Taylor Cooper has been a good defender for us and local boy Peter Cooper has probably been the biggest surprise. He's playing really smart out there."
The Kermodes will next be in action on Saturday (Sept. 15) when Thompson Rivers University comes to town. Quest will then hosts the University of British Columbia-Okanagan on Sunday (Sept. 16).
For more information on Quest athletics, visit www.questkermodes.ca.
