REMATCH weekend
Labour Day weekend combatants renew CFL rivalries with Saturday rematches
The Lethbridge College Kodiaks felt they deserved a better fate. They almost got it, too, but instead it was the SAIT Trojans who hit the road with a 3-2 win as the teams opened their Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference season Saturday at the Servus Sports Centre.
In an entertaining second half in front of a large Kodiaks homeopening crowd enjoying the sunny — albeit slightly windy — day, Lethbridge nursed a 2-1 lead into the late stages of the game thanks to a goal from Jimmy Bukuru.
But a pair of late, and similarlooking goals, turned the tide in favour of the visitors as the Trojans headed home with the W while the Kodiaks hit the road to Olds today to face the Broncos, looking for 1-1 weekend to start the season.
“It’s heartbreaking,” said Kodiaks head coach Sean Carey. “To lose in the last minutes of the game like that, especially when we felt we were in control.”
Wilson Ntignee staked the Kodiaks to a 1-0 lead after the first half on a penalty shot, but the Trojans pulled even early in the second half.
The deadlock didn’t last long as Bukuru got his foot on a loose ball in front of the Trojans goal.
His shot got over the line before being swatted out of the SAIT net, but was ruled a goal as Lethbridge took a 2-1 lead.
The Trojans pushed back midway through the second half and rattled a shot off the post and out as the Kodiaks held onto their one-goal lead.
But with time ticking down, the Trojans found the back of the net twice, including the winner in the final minute as Brad Atherton got a header past Kodiaks goaltender Kohl Wandyka in the 89th minute. Atherton then added the winner on another header off a SAIT corner.
“After giving up the tying goal, right away we responded. It shows the character of the guys (to) get back ahead again,” said Carey. “It’s just disappointing when you concede two late goals like that, and both were very similar goals.
“I thought it was two pretty even teams out there. Their coach will probaby say they deserved to win and I’d say we deserved to win. The guys’ effort out there was unreal. I love the compete level we have with this group of guys. We’re gutted right now because we thought we did enough to come away with three points.”
“It was a heartbreaking effort,” added Wandyka. “The lads put out a great effort in the first half. We came out in the second half just as strong. It was two lucky efforts near the end of the game and we just couldn’t hold them.”
The Kodiaks look to make their season-opening weekend a .500 outing as they face the Broncos today at 4 p.m. in Olds.
The Broncos lost 2-0 to the Medicine Hat Rattlers Saturday afternoon.
“We’ll talk about this game in the dressing room right now and then it’ll be forgotten,” said Carey. “We have to move on. It’s a new day tomorrow and we need the three points. SAIT is one of the top teams in the league and we want to be there and challenging them for top spot and we have the guys to do it. We have the personnel and tomorrow is a new day.”
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