Women’s Soccer
The swagger restored for the UKC women, making the most of their single match this weekend, routing the Crandall Chargers on the road 6-0. Having netted only five times so far this season, the Blue Devils unloaded in front of goal, out shooting their hosts 31-5 on the afternoon. Sophie Shepherd, Anna Dugandzic, Tia Lovegrove, Avery Sorensen and Faye Little all worked their way onto the scoresheet, with Little opening and closing scoring with a brace in the 10th and 81st minutes respectively. Keeper Rebecca Florean and the UKC backline contained the Crandall offence comfortably for the full 90 minutes and helped King’s record it second clean sheet of the season.
King’s fans will hope this match will be the spark to jumpstart the Blue Devils to a late season surge to playoffs. Despite the relatively slow start, the UKC women find themselves fifth in the standings with half the season played, sitting just a point off Holland College in the final playoff spot. Elsewhere, the return of the aforementioned Faye Little to the scoresheet is cause for celebration. The speedy winger had missed several matches following an injury in the opening game week, and was largely contained in her return to the field last week at UNBSJ. Beyond the overall goal return, King’s coaching staff will be encouraged by the number of scorers; highlighting the wealth of potent options within the attacking third. A key midweek match this week against local rival, MSVU presents a ripe opportunity to make up ground in the standings. King’s narrowly missed out in their first meeting with the Mystics, falling on the short side of a 0-1 loss, despite having the better of goal scoring chances across the full 90 minutes. Though a win on Wednesday night is unlikely to rock the Mount from their position as league leaders, an extra three points for the UKC women would vault them further into the playoff conversation. That match is set for 6 p.m. at Harbour East Field in Dartmouth.
Results:
@Crandall 6-0 Win
Next Match:
vs. MSVU, October 5th, 6 p.m. @ Harbour East Field
Men’s Soccer
A gritty match in Moncton against Crandall may not have turned into the goal-fest they had dreamed of, but that didn’t prevent the Kingsmen from taking care of business and coming away with a 1-0 win and all three points. A stingy Crandall defence proved to be impenetrable through the first half of play. Charger’s keeper, Noah Miller performed admirably between the sticks, repelling 16 shots on net across the afternoon. The breakthrough goal for the Blue Devils would come in the 50th minute, via a solo effort from striker Gareth MacKinnon to give King’s the decisive go-ahead score. The UKC defence would see out the remainder of the match, despite counter attacks by their hosts, to preserve the 1-0 win.
At the halfway point in the season, the UKC men are sitting comfortably in second place in the table, led only by STU, whom they have not yet crossed this season, with last weeks meeting postponed due to weather. A quick slate of matches ahead of the Thanksgiving break sees King’s playing again in the midweek, hosting MSVU on Wednesday evening. The Blue Devils bettered their cross town rivals earlier this season by a score a 6-1 in a wild match at Mainland Commons. The MSVU Men are in a midseason playoff fight, sitting fifth in the standings just below the postseason cutoff. With tensions high and crucial points up for grabs, Wednesday’s match is a must-win for both Halifax sides. That match is scheduled for an 8 p.m. kickoff Wednesday, October 5th at Harbour East Field in Dartmouth.
Results:
@ Crandall 1-0 Win
Next Match:
vs. MSVU, October 5th, 8 p.m. @ Harbour East Field
