Another weekend of poor results for the Quest Kermodes men's soccer team has left head coach Adam Day frustrated.
The team lost 1-0 to Douglas College on Saturday (Oct. 9) and then played to a 2-2 draw against Kwantlen Polytechnic University on Sunday (Oct. 10), a game that Day felt Quest should have won.
"We really should be talking about a 2-0 victory," he said. "Kwantlen is not the strongest side and for us to not beat them at home is a poor result."
Heading into Sunday's game, Kwantlen had failed to post a win or tie in their other seven games, being outscored by their opponents by a total of 31 goals. The draw with Quest is the team's first point on the season.
"The reality is that we're not good enough," Day said. "It's the same faults with this team. As coaches, we can prepare them as best we can but we can't help it when they make errors."
It was a strong first half for Quest, starting aggressively and taking the game to Kwantlen. The team had a number of chances early on and finally got on the board when Mawuena Mallett scored on a nice set-up from John Aikins-Slade.
The first half concluded with the Kermodes up 1-0 but everything fell apart in the second half.
"We set the players up with what they had to do in the first half but then, in the second, everything that could possibly go wrong did," said Day.
"It seems to be the same excuses with this group."
Kwantlen scored a goal off a header early on, and a defensive mistake led to Quest falling behind 2-1 early into the second half.
Captain Ben MacGregor collided with his teammate, defender Jonathon Friedman, which opened up space for Kwantlen and they took advantage and scored.
"It was just awful defending," Day said of the second goal. "It's a pure defensive error and it was embarrassing to watch."
Quest managed to save face when Ryan Gorbert evened the game up later in the second half, but Day was disappointed that Quest failed to beat a team they should have.
"This result has proven that we're not making good decisions and I just don't think this team is good enough," he said.
However, Day was pleased with the game on Saturday (Oct. 9) against Douglas College.
"I thought it was a fairly good performance," he said. "Douglas is a strong team and I think we competed. We made it difficult for them and that's why the result against Kwantlen is so disappointing. We can compete with top teams but can't win when we have to."
Quest currently sits in fourth place in Group B, with a record of two wins, four losses and one draw. With three games remaining in the season, the club still has a chance to qualify for the provincials but they must pass the third-place Langara Falcons to qualify.
It doesn't get any easier for the Kermodes, who host the undefeated Vancouver Island Mariners on Saturday (Oct. 16). The game is scheduled for 3 p.m. at Quest University field.
For more information on the team, visit www.questkermodes.ca.
