The Red Deer College Kings couldn’t get its offence rolling in a loss to the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology.
The Kings’ record dropped to 1-3 after the 2-0 loss in Red Deer on Sunday.
Both teams were scoreless at halftime. Kings coach Wade Groenewegen said the first half was exactly how they drew it up.
“We executed perfectly through the first half,” said Groenewegen. “We knew we needed to hang on and it’s unfortunate we couldn’t bury one when we had a chance.”
It didn’t take long into the second half for the Trojans to strike. SAIT’s William Akio was able to get his team on the board in the 52nd minute.
The Kings were unable to generate much offence while trying to tie things up. Eventually the Trojans extended the lead to two, when Jake Walmsley kicked one past Kings goalkeeper Talon Grenier.
“They’re a much bigger and more experience team than us,” said Groenewegen. “I’m not disappointed in our performance at all. We’d like a different result, but I don’t think our guys could have given us anymore.”
The team has been stadily improving since the beginning of the year, Groenewegen added.
“We’ve got a few things in fluid play that need to be a bit better, but this game doesn’t really change our training approach,” he said.
Kyle Bett, Kings first-year midfielder, said his team showed some resolve in the tough match.
“We held them down in the first half quite well - the second half not so much. We ended up fighting back and kept it to two,” he said.
It’s important for the team to continue to fight for every inch, Bett said.
“We have to step up in those crucial moments and take our chances in front of the net,” he said.
After four games, Bett said he already sees the team improving.
“We’ve definitely come together more as a team than we were at the start of the season and we’re understanding each other’s game,” said Bett.
Red Deer College will host the Lakeland Rustlers in its next matchup on Saturday, Sept. 23 at 4 p.m.